Lightning
by RaiMarshel
Summary: The last thing she expected after quiting the military was to get a phone call from some agency that promised they could 'help her' with her ability. The second to last thing was falling for a red demon that always seemed to be able to pissed her off.
1. Chapter 1

**Well first off HI. I've been working on a hellboy fanfic for who knows how long and I'm not anywhere close to finishing it but I wanted to get part of it uploaded so this is me starting that. I know my character has the same name as my username but like I said this has been stored away for a long time and that's kind of where I got the name for my username in the first place. A lot of my early fanfics (non of which were actually ever seen by the public) have 'Rai Marshel' as the main character. I loved the name and it became mine. So I hope for some feedback. Read and Review.**

* * *

"Sorry I don't work for the government anymore." That was my replied when I was rudely awakened by a phone call. _"Who the hell calls at…oh…"_ It was 10:34 AM.

"There goes my job interview… and breakfast." I muttered as I reached for the phone. Someone was looking for a Rai Marshel and they weren't going to find her. I hadn't used that name since I was a little girl. Now I was 24 years old and I wasn't particularly happy that some government agency caught up to me. _"Looks like I need to move again." _

"Sergeant Marshel I assure you we aren't looking for trouble. I know that you are very talented and I hoped that you would at least let me explain." The kind old man on the other end was in danger of having a pissed off young women explode on him.

"Listen I already read through the crap you sent me. I listened to several phone lectures already and I'm telling you straight up I'm not interested in being anyones science project." I pulled the phone away from my ear to hang it up when the man called my name.

"What?" I asked a little too harshly.

"Sergeant Marshel I know your record is superb and I am interested in your abilities but I believe you might be able fit in here better than you think." I thought about it for a minute and sighed.

"Fine I'll check it out tomorrow. That's not a 'yes' on staying though. Now let me sleep" There was a soft chuckle on the other end and then the line went dead as I pulled the cord from the wall.

"Well this means I'm avoiding rent." I whispered to myself with a smile as I pulled myself off the floor. I looked down and realized that I hadn't even changed after dinner last night. I had simply fallen asleep on the floor watching TV. "_How pathetic."_ I turned off the TV and headed to take a shower. "_I really hope this place doesn't end up being some kind of psychiatric ward" _I thought as I threw my few belongings into my only duffle bag.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" I asked aloud as I stared up at the sign that read "Waste Management." I checked the address I had been given for a third time before checking the sign again. With a heavy sigh, revealing my annoyance, I made my way to the intercom.

"Hey, is there a professor Broom around?" I asked before anyone could ask me what I wanted.

"Sergeant Rai Marshel." A voice stated rather than asked. "Yeah." I replied.

"Hold still." The intercom ordered. Before I could asked a small eye scanner appeared out of the crappy looking intercom.

"Ow!" I rubbed my blinded eye as the scanner disappeared back into the intercom.

"Get back here you little son of a…" The intercom interrupted me. "You can go in." I growled inwardly and headed through the gates with my bag slung over my shoulder.

When I entered what seemed to be the main lobby I felt like giving the officer behind the main desk a piece of my mind for the little eye scanner but he interrupted me again.

"Rai Marshel, you're late." I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Only by like fifteen minutes. Get over it." I replied with a smirk.

He narrowed his eyes at me and ordered me to stand still. The floor beneath me shuttered and I glanced down to see that it was an elevator platform beneath my feet. I gave the front desk man a cheesy smile and wave before he was lost from my view. He only glared.

The elevator lowered several levels and finally stopped when it reached a floor that included two large golden doors in front of the lift. "Subtle." I thought as I stepped off the lift and walked towards the doors. I leaned against the door, pushing it open and peeked inside.

The room looked warm and inviting. It was sort of a library and an office combined. I stared at the tall shelves filled with books of different size and color. There were couches set up that looked inviting next to a large fireplace that was lit. There was also a desk in the back corner near a spiral staircase leading to another level of the room. Finally my eyes landed on a large tank that took up the entire wall on one side. _"Weird"_ I thought as I headed towards it with an itching curiosity.

I placed a hand on the glass of the tank and tried to see if there was anything in it. I squinted when I thought I saw something and widened my eyes in surprise when I identified a face through the glass. It looked like a fish but at the same time it looked like a man. He seemed to be taller than me and looked really skinny. His skin was amazingly blue with some darker blue stripes all over his body that made him definitely look like a fish.

"You must be Rai." A voice said right behind me. I jumped and screamed in surprise. I whipped around and found myself standing face to face with the blue fish man. I turned back quickly to the glass and saw the man's reflection. _"Idiot"_ I thought as I looked back to the man and tried not to panic.

"I didn't mean to scare you. You were obviously concentrating quite hard on the water." I nodded slowly and took in his appearance.

"Wow." I whispered and then felt my face heat up, hoping I hadn't offended him. "That's not usually the reaction I receive." He blinked at me a few times and I couldn't help but gulp.

"Yeah well I hope this doesn't sound rude or anything but I think I've seen worse." I replied trying to sound normal.

"Ah yes, you are the military expert. You must have seen plenty of gruesome things in your time." He said. "How do you know that?" I asked more surprised than guilty over the fact that he just interpreted my comment as calling him gruesome.

"Abe can read minds." A new voice stated. The blue man and I turned to see a man dressed in a black suit standing by the golden doors that I had left open.

"You must be Sergeant Rai Marshel. I'm Agent Clay." The man approached me and extended his hand for me to shake.

"Hi. Uh what do you mean by 'he can read minds? " I asked shooting the blue man a skeptical look. The man in black released my hand and nodded towards the blue man.

"Rai Marshel, 24 years old, born in San Diego, California. You were an orphan for most of your life and joined the military at an early age, illegally of course. You advanced in ranks, you are an excellent marksmen and you have an impressive ability. Can I see it?" The fish asked. I watched him for a few minutes not sure of what to say but was snapped out of my daze when Clay cleared his throat.

"Oh. Yeah…sure." I raised my hand to about eye level and let the energy flow. The electrical charge became visible and it looked as if I were controlling lightning in the palm of my hand.

"Do you have control?" The blue man asked studying my hand. I nodded and let the electricity flow for a few more minutes before I lowered my hand. "I haven't lost control since I was little. I have even used the ability to restart the heart of a soldier on the field. It comes in handy." I smiled with pride as I thought about the men whose lives I saved on the battle field with my talent.

"That is impressive but you quit because of it. May I ask why?" My smile faltered.

"Stuff happened. I don't really want to talk about it." The blue man nodded.

There was a slightly uncomfortable and awkward moment of silence. The blue man cleared his throat and stretched a hand forth for me to take. "I'm afraid I haven't properly introduced myself. My Name is Agent Abraham Sapien." I placed my hand in his and was shocked by the cold tissue.

"You can just call me Rai. I don't really like people using my last name. If you have to be formal about it then you can call me Lightning. That's the name I'm more use to." Abraham nodded.

"Alright now that you know who we are, maybe we should get you settled in." Clay interjected. I turned to him, releasing Abraham's hand. "Slow down there. I'm not sure if I'm staying yet." I said. The two men looked at me.

"I don't even know why I'm here. Maybe one of you wants to give me a clue." I gave each of them a questioning look as they exchanged a look of their own.

"This is the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, the B.P.R.D." Agent Sapien replied.

"And why am I here?" I asked. "That's up to you. Why are you here?" He asked. I sighed and shook my head. "I don't really know. The man on the phone mentioned my 'abilities' and I just thought he would know something that I didn't. I don't really have anything to lose by being here." I replied. Abraham and Clay nodded.

"We hunt monsters and we protect people from things that are too terrifying for them to know about. As the Professor always says, 'there are things that go bump in the night and we are the ones that bump back.'" Clay said. I thought about it for a moment.

"Why did you pick me?" I asked. Abraham turned and made his way over to the book shelves while I watched him.

"You are like us. The Professor simply advised that we give you a home and in exchange maybe you could help us. No need for all of that talent to go to waste." He replied, turning back to me for a moment with a book in his hands.

"I guess I don't really have anywhere better to go." I muttered. He nodded and picked another book from the shelf. "You said 'us' does that mean there are more people like you?" Abraham nodded without looking back at me.

"Yes but you would have to be careful if you were to meet him." He said.

"He's not in the best mood right now." Clay added, also watching Abraham as he calmly looked through a third book.

I took a second to take in the information. To say I wasn't overwhelmed would be a lie, but saying I wasn't excited would also be a lie. It would feel good to get back into the action. I couldn't help but feel some more excitement because of the chance I was going to get to use my powers. After taking a few deep breaths and spinning in a complete circle to let go of some tension I stood ready to face the two agents.

"Ok… I'll think about staying. How's the pay?" I asked trying to sound nonchalant. "It depends on what you are looking for. I'm sure we can fund you enough to keep up with your obsession of ice cream." Abraham stated, picking up on the idea from my head.

"That sounds promising. How much do you get?" I asked trying to get my mind off of ice cream. "Rotten eggs." Abraham replied. I made a face of disgust (he couldn't be serious) and would have said something to continue the conversation but Clay interrupted.

"Agent Lightning we should probably get going." Clay said.

"What about the professor? I was supposed to meet him here." I said looking around the room, suddenly remembering my real purpose for being there.

"The professor is out right now so I'll give you the tour and you can talk to him when he gets back." Clay said waving goodbye to Abraham. I waved goodbye too and ran after Clay as he left the room.

"Alright then, your room is the third door down that hall." Clay said pointing down a hallway to our left. I nodded and asked Clay to wait for a minute while I dropped off my things. It only took a second and when I returned to Clay's side he noticed my disapproving face.

"What?" He asked. "The room is hideous." I replied with a grimace. Clay shook his head with a smile and continued down the hall.

"The kitchen is that way at the end of the hall. Gym is down there and to the right. Locker room is to the left. There's a shooting range up ahead, second right." I watched Clay point this way and that as we walked through the halls. Clay pointed out the conference room, the files room, and several important places while I walked beside him quietly.

I was about to ask him a question when an alarm went off. Red lights flashed and there was a large amount of commotion coming from down the hall.

"Come on." Clay ordered as I followed him through the halls. We raced through the commotion and I had no idea what was going on. It felt strange that no matter how many times I asked Clay what was going on he wasn't able to answer me. We finally came to a stop when we reached a garage area where several black cars and a garbage truck were parked.

"Alright kid this is how it works. When that alarm goes off you get here quick. That alarm means we have a monster out there that we need to take care of." He explained. I nodded.

"What's with the garbage truck?" I asked, slightly out of breath from the sprint here. "It's transportation for Abe and uh…him." Clay finished lamely. "Who's 'him?" I asked wondering what Clay was avoiding. He turned to me suddenly, also out of breath.

"Listen ok, he doesn't like people. That's just him, so don't feel offended if he doesn't take to you right away. Also he can be pretty intimidating." Clay tried to explain. I watched him and nodded slowly.

"Well let's see if this is something you're cut out for, kid." Clay said giving me a pat on the back before running off to help with things.

"Agent Lightning." I looked up when I heard my name and spotted Abraham coming my way. "Abraham what's the deal?" I asked looking around as everyone scrambled to find their equipment.

"You can call me Abe, Agent Lightning. So far I'm not sure what the alarm is for. I do know that the professor is already there and that it would be wise for you to go ahead of us." I gave Abe a puzzled look but after a few nudges he ended up getting me a ride that would be ahead of the truck.

Whoever this other agent was, Clay and Abe sure had been going through a lot of trouble to get me to avoid him. It just made me more nervous. I sat in the front seat of one of the black cars with an Agent named Alexander. We set out early, before I could even get a glimpse of the fearsome agent. Alexander wouldn't even tell me what he looked like.

I sat in the car with a slight pout as we made our way through traffic. Abe was giving me an opportunity. If I could prove my worth maybe this guy wouldn't be so hard on me. I would never show it but I actually felt like I wanted to be accepted here.

If things went well I could have somewhere to stay. If not I was just going to have to keep wandering. The pressure was intense. One of the reasons I quite the military was because I was tired of losing men out there that I knew. I always felt so guilty and the possibility that they could die and it would be my fault was something that haunted my mind at night.

"We're here." Agent Alex announced as we pulled into the private parking lot of a university. Alex directed me and six other agents inside where we found a large amount of police tape. I stood still and watched as men filed through and checked the scene.

I jumped a little when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I glanced behind me and found a man that appeared to be in his late eighties. He had white hair and wore a black suit like everyone else. He had kind eyes behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses and had a soft smile that was lined by his white beard and mustache.

"You must be our newest agent." He said in a voice that made me feel less tense about this whole situation. Before I could object he went on.

"You must be otherwise you wouldn't be here." I smiled at him and shook his hand. I noticed that he had a walking stick and that he leaned most of his weight on it as he held my hand.

"Sir, thank you so much for your offer to stay. I'm sorry for the attitude I gave you over the phone. I had no idea that this…" I trailed off as he smiled wider.

"You will do just fine here, my dear." I couldn't help but smile back as well.

A group of Agents broke out in an argument and ruined the moment completely. I glared at them while the professor calmed them down. "That thing is still in there and I don't think we have time to wait for the team." One agent said. Several agents nodded and agreed. The professor silenced them and gave them all a quizzical look.

"I see no reason to panic. We have an agent right here." Professor Broom said motioning to me. I could practically feel my jaw drop. "But professor…" I tried to protest but one quick look from him and I had to shut up. He looked so confident and an irrational sense of longing for his approval began to develop inside of me.

"_Oh shit! I can't do this by myself. I don't even know what is in there."_ The agents watched me and I put on a brave face for their benefit. The professor led me away from the agents and I felt my mental control slipping.

"It is alright Rai. There is only one monster and I am sure that you are completely capable of handling it." I tried to take his words in and encourage myself to buck up but I just felt terrified.

The professor smiled at me, stating that he had the utmost confidence in me. I was led to the university library where I was given two pistols. I felt a little better once they were in my hands. I was also equipped with a cool belt that had a tracker of some sort and a communicator. I tested it all out and then turned to the professor briefly.

"Professor is there any way I can back out of this? Don't you have another agent?" I asked. He nodded but I'm not sure it was an answer to either of my questions. "I believe the best way to learn is through experience." And with that one of the agents opened the door to the library and beckoned me inside.

I glanced back once more hoping someone would stop me and announce "just kidding" but those words never came and the doors were closed behind me immediately.

"Ok Rai, get a hold of yourself, you can do this. It's just target practice. Just think of it as target practice." My muttering didn't do much to ease my fear. "Why did I have to get myself into this? I could be at that crappy apartment right now with a five dollar pizza and some ice cream." I silently whined, thinking about how good that sounded.

"Uh hey, any one in here?" I asked aloud. "Damn that sounded so stupid. What are you some kid? You're a freaking military veteran. Pull yourself together." I slapped myself a few times to maintain control and then gripped my pistols.

"I'm waiting." I shouted, sounding much braver than before. There was a loud bang to my left and I turned to the source of the noise quickly. I was greeted with the gorgeous, gory body of a university security guard. "Damn." I breathed before spinning on my heels at the sound of another bang.

"Where are you?" I called. There was obviously no reply but it still pissed me off that I couldn't find this thing. There was a small whooshing sound behind my head and ended up spinning on my heels again. I froze when I spotted a shadow where a shadow shouldn't be.

A large head appeared from the shadows and I spotted a large yellow eye in the center of what would be the forehead. "Gotcha you son of bit…"

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**DUN DUN DUN! Alright first part kind of dry. I plan on uploading the second chapter right away so that whoever is kind of interested can see what this is made of. This is a little stronger than my other stories online but its Hellboy so that's why. I hope I can gets some reviews, that would be super awesome and until next time peace out! =J **

**(if there are spelling issues understand that my life is dependent on spell check and if it misses something I'm truely sorry ok I'm not perfect especially when it comes to spelling.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**And I'm back. This time starting with Hellboy's perspective. The way I wrote this it actually goes back and forth between Hellboy and Rai and occasionally even changes to one of the other 'side characters' as I like to call them. So read review, hope you like it.**

* * *

I was definitely not in a good mood when I arrived at the garage. Once I was there, everyone seemed to be acting weirder than usual. It was as if everyone was trying to stay on my good side. Something that was nearly impossible in the state I was in. To make matters worse the team was running late. We ended up showing up at the university five minutes after the first car.

"Feeling any better?" If it hadn't been Abe who asked me I would have crushed the speaker into the concrete. I settled for simply glaring at the Sapien. "I see." Abe replied.

"Finally." I growled as we made our way inside the university and found the professor waiting for us.

"What do you have for us professor?" Clay asked as I loaded my gun and tried to keep the irritated look off my face. "It has only succeeded in killing one guard." The professor stated. Abe nodded and headed towards the door to the library to see what he could find.

"I do wish you would control your temper, Hellboy." Professor Broom said as I rested my gun on my shoulder. "What do you mean? I'm very well behaved." I said as I discarded a chewed up cigar in a passing agents coffee mug (a coffee mug that, no doubt, was prepared for Manning). Several agents rolled their eyes and then cowered when I looked towards them.

Abe's sudden gasp distracted me. "What is it Blue?" The fish man looked to the professor in surprise completely ignoring me. "You sent her in there? Alone?" I looked to my 'father' and then back down to Abe.

"_Sent 'her'? Who?" _I thought as I watched the two people in front of me have a silent conversation.

"Who did you send in there?" I asked hoping for some answers before I headed inside.

"Well Red…" Abe started. "Yeah?" I asked getting a little impatient. "That new agent I told you about has decided to stay." Professor Broom said.

"What?" I stared at the old man for a few minutes in shock before the anger arrived.

"You're telling me that some girl is in there right now doing my job." I asked loudly. Everyone seemed to exchanged nervous looks.

"It's just a way to help her learn. I have confidence in her." He said. I muttered several swear words that he couldn't hear before turning back to the professor.

"I don't care if you think she's good or not. I want her out of there and out of the BPRD." I shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the library door.

"She will stay because it is her choice and you will not deny her a place in the BPRD." The professor stated with a voice of authority. I hated it when he did that. I wanted to continue the argument but Abe interrupted before we set off on a heated argument.

"I do believe we should focus on saving Rai at the moment." He said. As soon as the words left his lips the wall to the left of the library door exploded. Everyone's head turned and watched a large beast rise out of the rubble. I raised my gun to take a shot but someone else fired first. The large tiger shaped beast keeled over and blood began to pool on the floor.

"EAT THAT SUCKER!" I female voice shouted and I watched the hole in the wall to find the source of the defiant voice. A girl with the most vibrant red hair I had ever seen stepped through.

"HA! Who's badass now sucker?" She shouted, kicking the tiger in the head. She did a small victory dance and then whipped her hair out of her face revealing her emerald green eyes. The eyes scanned her surroundings and when they landed on me she stumbled backwards in surprise.

* * *

"Shit." I breathed as my eyes landed on a large red man.

He had a huge gun in his left hand and I could see a tail peeking out from under his brown trench coat. There were two horns on his head that appeared to be filled down and I couldn't take my eyes off of his yellow ones once they met mine.

The creature appeared just as the comic book character. Of course, I had only read the comics because a soldier I knew very well in the past had every issue sent to him from home and I had taken to reading them with him occasionally.

"You're Hellboy." I whispered, still in shock. My thoughts were confirmed when a large stone right hand came into view. "No shit Sherlock." The red man replied in a deep voice that made me want to shutter. "Wow." I whispered as I pulled myself upright.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" He barked at me suddenly.

"I was just… I killed that thing. There wasn't anyone else here to do it." I stuttered.

"Killing these things is my job pipsqueak! No one does my job! Got it?" I stood breathless for a moment as I took in his strongly placed words. He began to turn around when I stopped him with my own rude voice.

"Excuse me? I just killed that thing. Where were you?" I shouted back. The jerk turned back to me and I glared at him, standing my ground as he walked towards me.

"I was right here! It was my job and I could have handled it." He shouted.

"Then why didn't you?" I countered. He was speechless for a moment and I couldn't help the anger that was burning inside me.

"Who do you think you are?" He shouted.

"I'm Rai Lightning, the girl who just knocked the big shot down a peg." I replied coolly with a smirk.

"You're not even close, doll face. We don't need you." He stated. "Well I think that's up to the Professor, seeing as he is the one that invited me." I enjoyed the sight of him tensing up and the anger didn't subside in my chest. "You're not getting this squirt. You're not needed. You can't do anything." He growled.

"I could fry you to a crisp, buddy." I growled back.

"Is that a threat?"

"Hell no, that's a promise!"

We stood glaring at each other with intense hatred. Someone cleared their throat and we turned sharply to glare at whoever did. Abe stood with Professor Broom waiting for us to finish. I turned back to Hellboy and noticed for the first time how close we were standing. I took a few steps back and did my best not to meet Hellboy's heated gaze.

I dropped the pistols that I was holding and brushed past Hellboy roughly. I stomped my way passed Clay and out the back door. Once I was outside I felt like screaming and instead I settled for blowing out one of the headlights on Hellboy's truck.

I heard someone leave the building behind me and I turned around to snap at whoever it was. Professor Broom stood there watching me and I winced when he spotted the light I shorted out.

"Sorry." I whispered while rubbing my temples. "It's alright. Hellboy has that affect on people. I wish you would forgive him for his attitude. He is just a child with a temper." I laughed a little and made my way over to the side of the building. The professor watched in silence as I leaned up against the building.

"Now what?" I asked taking in a large breath.

"I'll have someone take you back to the BPRD. I'm sure you have had quite a day already." I nodded and he simply smiled at me.

"What about you?" I asked as the professor turned to head back inside.

"I still have work to do here. I will see you when I return." He smiled again and again I nodded. I watched him head back inside and decided to wait for everyone instead of heading back. I slid down the brick wall and started to hum a song to myself instead of thinking of the fat headed demon-boy inside.

* * *

I watched the girl march off in a huff. I knew I had upset her but I really couldn't care less. She didn't have a right to be here and she shouldn't be on the team. The main reason was that she was just a replacement for Liz. I glared after her and winced when I heard something pop and explode outside followed by a car alarm. I turned to my father and was met by a very stern and disappointed look.

"Yeah yeah, yeah." I muttered as I watched the group of agents enter the library to investigate. I turned when I heard the back door open again and watched the professor follow the girl out. I stood for a few minutes and waited for the old man to come back inside. When he did he obviously didn't seem too happy about my fight with the brat.

"We don't need her." I muttered as the professor walked by. I only received a scornful look from the older man.

"She needs us Hellboy. She needs something to hold onto and an outlet for her powers." Professor Broom walked into the library with me at his side.

"So does she have problems with control too?" I asked sarcastically, thinking of Liz.

"No. Her control is outstanding but she has nowhere to focus it. She is angry at you." I almost laughed.

"So that pop out there is the best she can do with her anger? She's not very strong if you ask me." The professor looked up at me with a knowing look. "She is as strong as Liz, Hellboy. The difference is that Rai has more control. In my opinion, she has all the makings of a great agent." The professor ended it there and headed towards Abe to see what he had found.

"Professor." Abe started as the Professor and I headed towards him. "We may have a problem." He stated as he handed one of his books to the professor. "What is it Abe?" I asked as I glanced at some of the blood splattered books on the shelves. "This was a tiger of Shalbriri." Abe stated.

"The blind demon?" I asked. Abe nodded.

"What is the problem, Abraham?" The professor asked as he looked down at the book in his hands.

"There was a blind tiger here." Abe said pointing to the dead tiger in the hall. "Yeah." I said looking at the tiger and then Abe. _"Thanks for stating the obvious."_ I thought. "Well, you see…"Abe struggled for words as he looked around the room.

"Spit it out Blue. What is it?" I asked forcefully. Abe settled his eyes on me.

"Blind tigers never travel without their mates." Abe finally explained. I stared at him for a minute and then turned to the professor quickly.

"Where's that newbie?" I asked, already halfway out the door.

"She is supposed to be on her way back to the BPRD." The professor replied only a second before I took off. _"If this thing had a mate then it was going to be pissed at that girl for killing it. Damn, she's only been here a day and already she's a pain in the…"_ I raced to the back door and pushed past it, nearly ripping the door from its hinges.

Someone screamed in surprise and I turned to find the red headed girl who had jumped to her feet only a second after I pushed open the door.

"What the hell? Don't scare me like that!" She shouted at me. I ignored her, pulled out my pistol, and looked around the courtyard.

"Hey what's going on?" She asked only to have me turn on her quickly. "Why are you still here?" I asked, irritated. She blinked for a few seconds and then glared at me. "Well s-o-r-r-y. I didn't know I had to have a ticket for the after party." She turned away from me with her arms folded across her chest.

I glared at her. "What do you want?" She asked eyeing me from over her shoulder. I growled at her but she didn't flinch.

"_What is with her?"_

Abe came through the door before I could reply. When he spotted Rai he made his way to her quickly.

"Rai, when you were in the library did you see more than one of those tigers?" He asked her. She watched him with a puzzled look that suddenly turned to realization.

"How many was I supposed to see?" She asked turning so that she could look over the courtyard. I turned so my back was to her and did the same.

"There were two. You missed one." I said mockingly and I heard her grind her teeth.

"I didn't exactly get a chance to go back and find a second one, now did I?" She shot back.

"Stay out of my way this time kid."I replied ignoring her last comment. She turned to me sharply. "I am not some weak defenseless child. I am a fighter. So don't tell me to stand down because I won't." She stated, standing tall and proud. Abe watched the two of use fight and sighed. I turned back to her and glared for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Listen kid…"

* * *

"Move!" In just three seconds I was able to shove Hellboy and Abe out of the way before a massive tiger could take off their heads. Hellboy straightened up and aimed his gun only to have it knocked away a second later. The massive tiger threw a paw at him and imbedded its claws into Hellboy's chest.

The second Hellboy removed the tiger from his body I sent a large shock through the beast's body. It turned around ready to pounce and found me standing defenseless. I dived to the ground to avoid the beast's charge and landed near Hellboy's discarded gun. I glanced up just in time to find the beast standing above me ready to attack but a mass of red hit the tiger and sent it flying.

"Get up." A voice ordered and I complied. Abe helped me to my feet and we both watched the creature stand. "It's bigger," Was all I was able to get out between breaths. "This ones the male." Abe replied. The creature struggled to its feet and faced us again.

"And it doesn't look like he likes you very much." Hellboy added. I nodded and watched the creature carefully.

"Neither do you." I said before charging forward with Hellboy's gun in my hands.

"Hey!" I heard behind me. I pulled the trigger and it hit the tiger square in the shoulder. It didn't seem to even care. I let my knees buckle and dropped to my back right as the creature jumped to attack me. He must have run into Hellboy instead because I saw the creature go flying again.

"Give me that." Hellboy demanded, ripping the gun from my hands. Hellboy aimed his gun and fired as well but there was no affect. The creature didn't even seem fazed as it stood up.

"Damn how do you kill this thing?" Hellboy asked aloud. "The eye." Abe stated reminding me of several nature documentaries I had seen about predators and the importance of their senses. Hellboy glanced down at me. "The tiger's eye is its weakness." I explained. Hellboy nodded and looked back to the tiger only to notice it was gone. "What? Where did it go?" Hellboy turned in a complete circle but couldn't see any sign of the tiger.

Abe stood by my side and placed his hands on my shoulders in a protective reassuring manner. I watched Hellboy as he scanned the area.

"It's not going to leave us alone that easy." I whispered more to myself than to anyone else. Seconds passed before something lurched in the shadow of a nearby building. Hellboy spotted it at the exact moment I did and the creature was obviously still pissed at me because it again tried to reach me. Hellboy was there to stop it with his gun and fist.

A high pitched wail sounded through the courtyard and the tiger took off, out of the courtyard with a dent in its side. Hellboy followed close behind and I stepped forward to follow but Abe grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"It's his job. Let's leave this to him." I gave him a defiant look and opened my mouth to protest but it was no use.

The professor and the other agent showed up and I was left to the side to watch. In the end I was shoved into a car and forced to go back to the BPRD without even getting a chance to hear about the rest of the case. It pissed me off and I couldn't get it off my mind. Once we got back Clay walked me to my room so I could clean up and then led me to the kitchen for dinner.

"Are you usually this quiet?" Clay asked as I leaned against the counter and stared at the floor. I glanced up at him, coming out of a train of thought.

"What?" I asked as I found his eyes on me. "What's on your mind rooky?" He asked from his spot at the table. I glared at the wall.

"Why did he get to take it down?" I asked a little too childishly. Clay sighed. "It's his job." He replied. I continued to glare at the wall and didn't say anything else.

"Hey come on kid, it's your first day don't let this get you down. I'm sure there will be plenty more chances where that came from." Clay said reassuringly. I glanced at him again and gave him a small smile. "Thanks." I replied.

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**Alright then, not the most enjoyable first day for her. I hope I can get some reviews, Criticism is accepted as long as it isn't super harsh, don't make me cry people. Anyway CYA next time. PEACE! =J**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright another chapter. THis one is a little shorter and we get to see how Rai adjusts to the BPRD. Read and review.**

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After I took a refreshing shower I threw on my favorite baggy jeans and a black tank top. I grabbed my newly acquired BPRD jacket and ran out the door while attempting to lace my boots. "Damn I'm so late." I whined to myself as I raced down the hall. "They're going to kill me."

It had already been two weeks since I arrived here. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but then again it wasn't really as interesting as I thought it would be either. There hadn't been a single alarm since that first day. I felt anxious to get out and show that demon boy what I could do.

Work wasn't fun either. It seemed to be everyone's goal to give me the most uninteresting jobs in the place. I had to carry this and clean that. I was bored out of my mind and usually extremely tired after filing more paperwork than should be humanly possible.

With I sigh, that came out as more of gasp because of my running, I paused to straighten my clothes and hair. "Ok then let's get this over with." I muttered and made my way into the board room trying to look as respectable as I could in a tank top, jacket and jeans.

I didn't look too bad, definitely worn worse in the military some days. I happened to be Manning's favorite because I was a military veteran. He said it had something to do with restraint and respect for authority. That and, when I first met him, I was a total suck up.

"Director Manning." I said in acknowledgement as I stood before him with my hands held behind my back. I looked like a total stiff neck the way I was acting but, if it got Manning of my back, I was ok with that.

"Ah yes Agent Lightning. I was hoping you would be here. I have a good feeling about you, kid." He said as he walked towards the other side of the room where his coffee was waiting. I smiled politely and nodded as I watched him walk off.

The meeting itself was just about budgets, paper work, and safety issues. I did my best not to fall asleep in the middle of it.

"That is why we need to put more manageable leaders out there. It seems every time Hellboy is sent out he comes back with less men than he started with." Manning said out of the blue. I looked up at the mention of Hellboy. What really caught my attention was what Manning said about the agents that don't come back.

I raised my hand feeling like a school girl as I waited to get Manning's attention. "Yes Agent Lightning."Manning called across the table.

I sat up from my slouching position in my chair. "Sir, are you saying that Hellboy lets his agents die?" I asked, knowing I was pulling the meeting way off topic. Manning gave me a confused look but nodded.

"Yes, well, we have had a few casualties in the past." He said glancing at some of the agents that were present in the room.

"A few casualties aren't a minor thing Mr. Manning. If these men can't go out there with even the slightest bit of hope that they'll survive then they shouldn't be going out there at all. It is the leaders' job to get them home safely. It's their responsibility over any other to make sure that people don't lose their lives." I gave Manning a hard stare and could practically feel the tension that had descended on the room.

I wasn't wrong. I felt a certain anger towards Hellboy. I use to be a leader of a team and when I lost just one of them I was torn apart. The fact that he could let multiple die was offensive to me.

"Are you saying Hellboy isn't doing his job?" A voice asked from the door. I turned in my chair and locked eyes with the professor. I stood up as a sign of respect, tried to regain myself, and nodded quickly.

"He may be fighting monsters but he is also supposed to be saving lives. If he can't protect the people closest to him then he has failed his job. That's what I believe."

I stared at the professor trying not to glare. He could see all of my regret in my eyes and stepped towards me to placing a hand on my shoulder. I sat down and stared across the table at nothing in particular.

"You may continue Tom." The professor said as he stood next to me. Manning took the hint and the meeting continued without further interruption.

"Rai." Someone shook my shoulder several moments later and I blinked a few times before my eyes focused on the person. Clay stood next to me and had a grim look on his face. I looked around the room and noticed it was empty save for Clay, Manning and Professor Broom.

"Have you ever lost someone close to you?" The professor asked from the other end of the room, not even turning back to look at me. I felt my body tense. "Of course. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't." I replied dryly. It should have been obvious.

"Then you can understand that sometimes sacrifices need to be made in order to complete a mission." He said. I stood up abruptly.

"It is wrong to sacrifice people." _It is wrong to leave someone behind in order to save yourself and it is wrong to not fight back for someone that needs help. I would know._

The three other occupants of the room stared at me. Someone cleared their throat and the professor and I looked up.

"Well I for one agree with Agent Lightning. We need someone new in charge. Hellboy needs to be kept in check." Manning explained. The professor looked up at him. "It isn't a good idea Tom." He said. "Sure it is. Rai can lead the team just as well as Hellboy." Manning said with a smile. The professor only shook his head.

Clay tapped my shoulder and pulled me in the direction of the door. Manning and the professor would talk it out but there was no point in Clay and me staying.

"I didn't ask for this you know." I said as I walked down the chrome hallways with Clay. "You realize you putting yourself in one of the worse situations you will ever experience right?" He asked. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets and sighed heavily.

"Yeah I know and I don't want to. I'm going to roll with it though because this makes me part of the team. Demon boy can't tell me I don't belong now." I said glancing up at Clay. Clay sighed heavily this time and nodded.

"Hey that reminds me. Whatever happened to that tiger from the first night?" I asked.

"Hellboy got it and the whole thing was cleared up." Clay replied.

"Is that just how things work? Do monsters just show up for no reason?" I asked. Clay shook his head.

"Most of the time but there are times when things can get out of control and it ends up being this huge scheme." Clay said dramatically. He smiled at me and I laughed. Our laughter was cut off by the sound of a blaring alarm.

"Great." I whispered in annoyance. _Why did this have to be now?_

Clay clapped a hand on my back in encouragement and headed down the hall. I followed at my own pace, dragging my feet.

I made my way into the garage and stood there a little lost.

"Um…hey." I said as an agent walked passed. He paused and saluted me. "Agent Lightning, yes, how can I help you?" I smiled at him and was happy that at least one person knew my name.

"I was wondering if you knew where I'm supposed to go." I smiled sheepishly and hoped he didn't think I was too pathetic.

He smiled back and nodded in the direction of the truck. "According to Manning, the truck is for you, Abe, and Agent Hellboy." I grimaced but thanked him anyway and headed towards the truck.

When I made it there, Abe greeted me with a wave of his hand. Unfortunately, Hellboy was also there and he didn't seem pleased to see me.

"What do you want?" He asked. I shifted uneasily and did my best to keep my eyes from meeting his.

"This is my ride too." I stated in a dry tone. Hellboy glared at me and then a smile forming on his lips surprised me.

"Sorry we're full." I stared at him in shock as he pulled down the door of the truck and slammed it in my face.

I pounded the door with my fists and ended with a kick. "I didn't want to ride with you anyway!" I screamed at the closed door.

I turned around and leaned against the truck with my arms folded. I heard someone laugh behind the door and I pounded it with my fist, knocking out the electricity for a few seconds.

"Come on kid, you can ride with me." Clay offered, coming out of nowhere. I grumbled some more profanity and kicked the door again before following him to the front of the truck.

"Thanks Clay." I said as I sat next to him in the front of the garbage truck. He nodded in acknowledgment.

It took us a few minutes to get through the crowd with the truck but we finally arrived at our destination.

"Let's get going kid." Clay said as he hopped out. I did the same and made sure to walk fast enough to stay ahead of the others. I looked over my shoulder at Hellboy as he got out of the truck and smirked.

"Better get moving HB." I called, trying to be as irritating as possible. This whole week I had been hearing about him calling me Sparky behind my back and this meant war.

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**Second misson coming up! Reviews please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Read and Review.**

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"Hey Clay, where are we?" I heard Rai ask as we looked around. "This is the Crowne Plaza." Clay replied. I scanned the fancy lobby and spotted some blood sprayed across a few walls.

"But that would mean we are in time square." I rolled my eyes as she stated the obvious. Clay nodded. Rai looked back at me but then looked away quickly before I could say anything.

I spotted Father and Manning and couldn't help but smirk at our pathetic 'director'.

"Listen up." Manning shouted and everyone turned to listen.

"We have a very large monster here." Father stated.

"It has already killed fifteen people." Manning explained. I walked up next to Rai and noticed her shutter.

"Where is it?" She asked. I glanced down at her and she looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

"It's in the ballroom." Manning shouted for everyone to hear. Rai nodded and rested her hand on the pistol that was holstered to her side. I was amazed she could even lift it seeing as it was almost as big as my Samaritan.

"Alright then let's go bag this thing and get home for dinner." I said. "Not so fast." Manning said. He looked to the professor for a moment and then back at me.

"Hellboy…" He started. My father sighed and I noticed Rai shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"Hellboy…" Manning said again trying to find his courage. "Please don't." Rai whispered and Clay placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes?" I asked getting tired of the weird tension that suddenly appeared.

"I'm putting Agent Lightning in charge. You are to work with her and listen to what she has to say." Manning ordered.

I stared at him for a moment and then turned to Agent Lightning. She stared at the ground, refusing to look at me.

"So Agent Sparky wants to lead? Fine, ladies first." I called to her, controlling my temper. I stepped aside and gave her room to go past. I could see she didn't like the situation but nevertheless she walked straight past me and headed down the stairs to where the ballroom was.

I followed right behind her and several agents followed after us. "I didn't ask for that." She whispered.

"Doesn't matter. Nobody takes my job you hear me." I whispered back. She turned back to me for a minute and glared.

"I don't want you job. I just want to stay here and not be treated the way I was on my first day. I'm your partner, deal with it." She said. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Fine." I said pushing her so she would keep moving. I didn't like the idea of a partner. It was way too familiar and only made me think of Liz. As a matter of fact, everything Rai did, reminded me of Liz.

We made it to the bottom of the stairs and stopped in front of the grand double doors of the ballroom. "What the hell is that?" One of the agents asked referring to the sound that was coming from the room. Rai made a face that seemed quite entertaining.

"Eww… I hate that song." She whined. I listened harder so I could find out what she was talking about.

"_Hit me with your best shot  
why don't you hit me with your best shot  
Hit me with your best shot  
fire away."_

"Apparently the monster has a thing for oldies music." Rai muttered. "Are you kidding? This is a classic." One of the agents replied. Rai narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to snap at him but I held up my hand and shoved her again.

"Hey, enough questioning the monsters taste of music. Let's go." I ordered. Rai nodded and we were the first ones to head inside.

"Where is this thing?" I asked as I looked around the room for the third time. I turned to see how Rai was doing and spotted her trying to fix the DJ's table.

"What are you doing? We have a job to do." I shouted to her. She stuck her tongue out at me and continued with her work.

"This thing is stuck on the same playlist. I have to change it or I'm going to go crazy." She complained as "I will survive" started to blast through the speakers.

I rolled my eyes and started to walk towards her when something caught my eye. I froze in place and held up my stone hand. There was a light shining down that seemed out of place to me. I slowly looked up and realized there was a large hole in the ceiling. "Well that explains how the blood got up stairs." I muttered.

"What?" Rai asked looking up from her work. "Sparky, get over here." I called to her. She glared but dropped her work and came over to stand by me.

"What do you think of that?" I asked pointing to the ceiling. She leaned in close to me so she could look up and I ignored the awkwardness of having her so close.

"Do you think it's somewhere upstairs?" She asked. I took a step back and shrugged my shoulders.

"It could be. I mean, we've been here for three minutes already and nothing's tried to eat us." As if summoned by my words a loud crack sounded through the room.

"What was that?" Rai shouted, hoping one of the agents would answer her.

"It's just Corbin." One agent called.

"Come on man, stop fooling around." Another called to his friend, wherever he was.

The reply was a blood curdling scream. "That ain't good." I said watching Rai tense up.

"Everybody out!" Rai shouted. I had to agree on that one. I grabbed Rai's arm and pulled her back so that I could go first. The last agent made it out the door and every one of them stood waiting to help when they were needed.

I made my way to where the loud crash had come from and I found the agent there. I knelt down beside him but he was dead. Rai appeared over my shoulder and I looked back at her to find a cold look in her eyes. Her eyes drifted over the crushed body then caught my eyes and she looked away quickly.

"Damn." She whispered and I stood up and watched her walk towards the doors. "Did you know him?" I asked wondering why she was reacting like this.

"He hit me in the face with a door two days ago. Other than that, no. It's just I don't usually…"She turned her back to me and the agents in the doorway but I caught her meaning.

"You don't usually lose them?" I finished for her. She nodded.

"Yeah well, I had to get use to it. It comes with the job, Sparky. We just have to do what we can to make sure we lose as little as possible." I explained, hating the awkward seriousness that we were in. She turned around and tried to smile. "Alright." She replied. I nodded this time.

"Ok now where is this son of a…" I didn't finish, more like couldn't. The second the words left my mouth I spotted something moving on the other side of the room. I moved at the last second to avoid a huge object flying towards me.

Rai wasn't so lucky. She stepped forward to avoid it as well but something wrapped itself around her leg and pulled it out from under her. I steadied myself on my own two feet and looked up to find Rai hanging upside down by a . . . tentacle.

Rai was screaming inaudible swear words while unloading several rounds into an invisible object beneath her. I raised my Samaritan to hit the tentacle and set her free but she spotted me and panicked.

"Don't shoot!" She screamed I paused for a moment and lowered my weapon. "It's down there! It's huge!" She screamed over the loud noise that had suddenly filled the room.

I made my way towards her and stopped on the edge of a large hole in the floor. The hole had appeared with the loud crack earlier and now at the center of it was a large monster that was slowly inching its way out. Rai was thrown into a wall as one of her bullets hit a sweet spot.

Agents fired on some of the monster's other tentacles that had appeared, avoiding the arm holding Rai, and several were knocked aside.

"Red." My radio fuzzed in and out. "Yeah, Blue, what do we got?" I asked.

* * *

Hellboy asked the usual question and I flipped through my books quickly. "Rai's hanging over the mouth of a giant octopus creature. It appears that somehow a seed of the Kraken found its way inside the hotel." I scanned a few more pages while Hellboy made his way back up the stairs.

"Well how do we kill it?" Hellboy asked from behind me. I turned and Hellboy appeared beside me looking down the hole in the floor where Rai was indeed hanging above a large crater of teeth. "Hey!" Rai screamed, looking up at us.

"Are you just going to sit there? This thing is going to eat me!" Everyone could hear the panic in her voice.

"Hold on a minute." I replied. I turned to Hellboy. "We would need a bomb." I stated, answering his previous question. He watched Rai and suddenly looked up at me. "What?" He asked. I opened my mouth and started to repeat myself but Hellboy stopped me.

"Blue we can't throw any explosives down there with Sparky hanging over it." Hellboy shouted. A scream came from the hole and Red and I looked down to see Rai glaring up at us.

"I swear HB if you call me that one more time I'm going to…" She was cut off when the Kraken moved and she was thrown into the ceiling of the ball room. We could feel the impact beneath our feet and I mentally noted that she was very strong to have maintained consciousness after being hit that hard.

"Hellboy get the bomb!" Rai screamed once the Kraken stopped shaking the room. Hellboy stared down at her and then looked to me. He seemed confused as to what to do.

"Rai, your life would be in danger. You need to know that." I said as I watched her sway above the kraken's mouth. Rai looked down at the mass of teeth and then back up at us. Her eyes connected with Hellboy's and she attempted to smile. It was quite pathetic, so much so that I might have been able to do better.

"We just have to make sure we lose as little as possible." She said quoting what I heard Hellboy say earlier. "Hey it's my job to be the hero, now get up here." Hellboy shouted down to her. She ignored him and unloaded the last of her pistol's bullets into the monsters mouth.

Hellboy did the same, avoiding Rai while he fired. I felt the anger in Hellboy's mind. He was definitely affected by the thought of losing Rai. The explosive idea was definitely not something he supported. I picked up on one name in his thoughts as Hellboy sat fuming about our predicament. _"Liz."_

"Yeah guys, just take your time. I'm totally comfortable right here!" Rai shouted sarcastically.

Hellboy suddenly thought of something and I watched him as a plan formed in his head.

"Sparky, how good of a shot are you?" Hellboy asked staring down at her as she swayed back and forth, her arms folded across her chest. "I'm a pretty awesome shot. Why do you care?" She shouted back, with a laugh that held no humor. Red looked at me and I sighed.

"Must you really do this again?" I asked. He nodded and motioned for the agents to bring the explosives that had been called for earlier.

"Hey what's going on?" Rai asked. I could still see her shaking as she stared into the open abyss of the Kraken's mouth.

"Alright Sparky, when I give you the signal I need you to shoot the beasty and get him to open his mouth up a little wider."Hellboy order. Rai gave me a look of confusion as I sat near the opening in the floor.

"What kind of bomb are you throwing down here?" She shouted with an agitated undertone. "Well Rai, Red is going to feed the bomb to the monster…personally." I did my best to explain.

"What?" She screamed as she tried to find Hellboy past me. "If it is just dropped on the beast it's going to blow up in your face. If I get it inside, fish face dies and you probably won't get too hurt." Hellboy shouted down at her, coming into her view.

"There's no way I'm going to let you…"

"You either shoot it so it doesn't tear me to pieces or you let me get torn apart. Your decision."

Rai looked back down at the kraken, not showing the expression of fear and guilt on her face. "Fine!" She shouted back up to us. Red looked at me and nodded. "She's so difficult." He muttered as he tossed a gun down to Rai.

"Don't miss!" He ordered her. She shouted something back but it wasn't very polite.

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**Fourth chapter over. Cool we got to see from Abe's perspective. Read and review to see if Rai and Hellboy survive.**


	5. Chapter 5

I waited for Hellboy to give me the signal. This thing, this kraken, was definitely the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. It was also unpredictable. It didn't like to move. It sat still unless it was disturbed, so there was no chance that it was going to relocate me to a more preferable spot, a.k.a., not above its gapping mouth.

I counted the seconds in my head and tried to keep fear from creeping into it. I couldn't believe he was doing this. He hated me this morning and now he's risking his life to save me. Silent seconds dragged on.

"Hey, I hope you're not falling asleep on me." Hellboy called. I just screamed the first curse that came to mind.

Finally the signal Hellboy was talking about was given and I fired the shot, hitting the deepest part of the kraken's throat that had triggered the swinging frenzy earlier. When I was least expecting it Hellboy flew past me, scaring the crap out of me.

I scream his name but the kraken threw me against the ceiling again and Hellboy was already gone. The explosion was what I wasn't expecting. I was already half out of it from being thrown around but it was made even worse as the kraken threw me across the room. Its tentacle, that had been holding me upside down for at least ten minutes, landed beside me. I felt light headed and leaned against a pile of twisted metal that had fallen from the ceiling as I waited for the dust to settle.

When I finally felt able, I crawled over large chunks of metal and kraken flesh. I was coated in slime from head to toe as I pushed things aside, looking for Hellboy. I heard a groan and did my best to sprint towards it.

"Hellboy?" I called. I coughed a few times as I looked around for any sign of him or rescue. I spotted a patch of red to my right and made my way towards it hoping it was him.

"Hellboy!" I shouted again as I hauled part of a ceiling support beam off of him. "Hellboy?" I asked leaning down to see if he was breathing. "Damn you." I breathed in relief when I felt his chest rise and fall. I left me head on his chest and took in a few deep breaths to calm my racing heartbeat.

"Liz." I looked up at Hellboy's face. He didn't seem to have moved but I knew that was his voice. "What?" I asked aloud, hoping he'd hear me.

"Liz." He whispered again. I saw his lips move and I placed a hand on the side of his head.

"Hellboy it's me, Rai. Get up you jerk." I watched him and waited.

"Rai." I smiled as I watched his eyes flutter open and nodded fervently.

He rubbed his eyes and tried to sit up. I pushed myself off of him and helped him up only to hit him in the face a minute later.

"What was that for?" He shouted in surprise. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" I shouted back. He glared at me and then suddenly laughed at me.

"Come on. This wasn't the first time I've been eaten for explosive purposes." He said, shaking some of the slime that covered his body, off of his hand.

"Really?" I asked a little amazed.

"Yeah." He replied simply.

"Wow, you really get around." I said. We stared at each other and then we both smiled and laughed softly.

I look up hoping to find the light from the giant hole in the ceiling but I couldn't see past mounds of rubble. "Looks like we need to wait." Hellboy muttered picking up on my thoughts. I nodded and sat down next to him.

It didn't take long before the pain in my head became too much and I blurted out the question that was gnawing away at my mind.

"Why did you do it?" I asked as I stared at the floor. I felt Hellboy's eyes on me.

"What?"

"Why did you risk it…for me?" I asked still refusing to meet his gaze.

"I don't know." Hellboy replied.

"I thought you hated me." I said trying to make it sound like this was any normal conversation.

"I do, don't think that's changed."

"Oh come on."

Hellboy stared at me and I realized I had allowed myself to look at him as well. We looked away from each other quickly.

"I mean… You were a jerk, you know. But you saved me." I said.

"I don't like anybody new. It's just how I am." He said.

"That sounds like what Clay and everybody else said." I laughed. This was definitely awkward but it was better than arguing.

"So what changed?" I asked, peeking over at him.

"I don't know what you mean."

He didn't continue so I let it drop.

We sat for a few minutes in silence. Finally I stood up with a smile and held out my hand. He stared at it until I noticed what hand he would have to shake with. I felt my smile faltered but hid it quickly and grabbed his stone hand anyway.

"Rai Lightning." I said, formally introducing myself. He watched our hands and I could tell he was trying not to hurt me. I watched his face until he looked up and realized I was staring.

"Hellboy." He replied. I smiled again and then released his hand. "See, there you go. Even we freaks can be civilized." I said with a smile and he almost smiled back, almost.

We were silent again until my curiosity got the better of me.

"Who's Liz?" I asked randomly. He froze completely and didn't look at me. "Who?" He asked in a stale tone.

"Liz, you called me that twice when I found you." I said. Hellboy didn't move or speak or even breathe.

"Hellboy?" I asked, leaning forward to look at the expression on his face. He stood up suddenly and I was thrown off balance.

"I don't know. You must have imagined it." He said. He started to walk off and I ran to his side so that I wouldn't be left behind. I didn't say anything else about it because I guessed that whatever it was, it was a touchy matter.

"Red, Lightning, are you two there?" I heard my radio mumble as I followed Hellboy through the trashed ballroom.

"Yeah, Clay we're here. Where are you guys?" I asked as I stopped and Hellboy turned back to me. His radio was in tarnished pieces on his belt so he held his hand out for mine. I ignored him and listened as Abe took the radio from Clay.

"We are right above you." Abe's voice stated. Hellboy looked up and I did too.

"Ok, get us out of here; Hellboy doesn't want to be late for dinner, remember." I said, smiling at Hellboy and making him smirked at me. I suddenly felt a pain in my head and tried to avoid having Hellboy notice.

"Rai?" Abe asked.

"Yeah." I replied, trying to ignore the aching pain that was starting to spread.

"I hope you haven't been moving too much. You may have suffered a severe concussion." Hellboy's expression suddenly became more serious as he watched me. "I'm fine Abe. Don't worry about it." I stepped towards Hellboy. Abe said something else but I didn't hear it. My brain and my eyesight went fuzzy and then my knees buckled.

"Sparky." Hellboy caught me before I hit the ground. I looked up at him and grimaced in pain.

"Ow." I whined and tired to laugh at how pathetic I sounded. "Abe hurry it up." Hellboy shouted into my radio. I mumbled some unheard complaints and closed my eyes.

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**Short I know. Reviews. =)**


	6. Chapter 6

Hellboy had been asked to leave the room when the professor grew tired of watching him pace back and forth.

Rai had been in and out of consciousness for two days. The last time she had been conscious Hellboy was carrying her out of the wreckage of the ballroom, wrapped in his jacket. The only thing she was able to tell me when I asked if she was ok was that she wanted ice cream.

Since then, all I had heard from her was the mumbling in her sleep but unfortunately it was never understandable save for the few times she mentioned Hellboy's name.

She was currently lying on a medical bed with plenty of injuries. She had bruises and scrapes covering pretty much her entire body. Her head injury wasn't very serious now but I wasn't sure when she was going to wake up.

"Abraham, has there been any change?" The professor asked, entering the room after sending Hellboy out. "No. Sorry professor. How is he?" I asked as I checked Rai's vitals just as I had the day before.

"He is just anxious. Rai reminds him too much of her. He can't remove his mind from the possibility that Rai may disappear like Liz did." The professor removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. I nodded and moved towards the door after finishing up with Rai's care.

"Liz…?" The professor and I both turned when we heard Rai's weak voice. Her head was turned to the side and she stared at us, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Rai, how are you feeling?" I asked as I rushed to her side and felt her head.

"Fine." She breathed, pushing my hand away. She tried to sit up and I did my best to restrain her but her persistence won in the end.

"Where…what happened?" Rai asked as she looked around and tried to stop her head from spinning.

"You're at home Rai, we made it back. The monster is gone and everyone is ok. There was only one casualty." I explained. I placed a hand on her shoulder to help her sit up straight and watched her face as she tried to wrap her head around this information.

"Hellboy…" She suddenly seemed as anxious as Hellboy, after I mentioned the one casualty.

"He is fine Rai. Agent Corbin was the one that we lost." I said.

She sighed heavily and swallowed hard. She opened her mouth to speak but was unable to. She nodded instead and buried her head in her hands. The professor made his way over to us and placed his hand over mine on Rai's shoulder.

"Tell Hellboy she's awake." He whispered to me. I nodded and removed my hand so his could take my place. I walked through the door and then raced through the halls. It took me sometime to track down Hellboy but I finally located him in the kitchen, drinking.

"Hey blue…" Hellboy mumbled as I entered the room. _He was drunk, fantastic._

"Red, what are you doing?" I asked, kicking an empty can aside with my foot.

"She left me Blue." He started. I sighed and sat beside him at the table. "She left all of us, Red. You can't just blame yourself." I replied.

"She left, and now this new girl… I thought of her like I did Liz." He took a swig of his beer and threw it across the room before opening another.

"Red…" He interrupted.

"I even called her Liz. When I was down there, I opened my eyes and I saw her hair… I thought it was fire so I called out to her…"

I watched him and waited for a chance to speak and tell him that Rai was awake and was looking for him, but he continued on.

"She was nice Blue. You wouldn't even think it was fair the way she treated me after I was such a jerk to her. I wish that was the reason I could say that I saved her. But I can't Blue. I hate her because I wish she was Liz and I wish Liz could look at me the way she did. It's just so unfair." He took one last drink of his beer and reached across the table for another but I pulled it back from him.

"She's awake, Red. She was looking for you." I said and he just watched me for a few minutes. He jumped up suddenly, beer forgotten, and darted out of the room. I sighed before getting up and followed him at a leisurely pace.

* * *

I looked up when I heard Abe leave and then looked to the professor. He smiled at me and I gave a weak smile in response. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and I did my best to swing my legs over the edge of the bed.

"You gave us quite the scare." The professor said suddenly. I looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Hellboy was worried most of all." The smile slowly fell.

"What do you mean?" I asked. The professor smiled. "Hellboy carried you out of the hotel's collapsed ballroom faster than any of our other man could have. We aren't sure if you would have made it otherwise." The professor's words hit me hard.

Did he really care that much, Hellboy? I owe him my life and he probably acted like it was no big deal. My mind drifted aimlessly for an explanation of his behavior until another thought reached the forefront of my mind.

I clenched my fists in my lap and tried to decide whether or not I should ask my question.

"Professor, who's Liz?" I asked hesitantly. He was silent for a minute and then, instead of becoming defensive like Hellboy had, he smiled.

"She was an agent here much like yourself, and she had abilities similar to yours." He said. I stared at him a little apprehensive. "What happened to her?" I asked, knowing I was meddling.

"She left, 12 times."He said.(*) I stared at him wide eyed. "Twelve times, why would she keep coming back just to leave again?" I asked in surprise.

"She had trouble controlling her abilities and was scared of what she could do. She leaves searching for answers and help. She comes back when she feels there is no help for her." The professor explained. I stared at my hands again as I thought about what he had said.

"Were Hellboy and her close?" I asked out of curiosity. Professor Broom simply nodded. _That explained a lot. I came in and took her place so he hated me, still hates me. She must have been really important to him and she left, again._

"Wow." I whispered to myself. The professor nodded again. I started to turn inward to think but was shocked back to reality when I heard the screeching sound of a chair scrapping across the floor. The professor got up to leave and turned back to me with a smile before he walked through the doors.

Only a few seconds passed before someone burst through them. I blinked in surprised and then focused on the six foot red demon in the room. We stared at each other for a few minutes and then he looked away slightly embarrassed.

"Hi." I said trying to keep myself from laughing. He turned back to me while rubbing the back of his head. "Uh…Hi. Are you… um… how ya' feeling?" He stuttered. I shrugged and regretted the action. I tried to hide my flinch before Hellboy noticed.

"Fine." I replied. "I really want some ice cream though." He laughed and my head tilted to the side in confusion without my thinking about it.

"You said the same thing when we were leaving the museum." He explained.

I rolled my eyes at his smirk and decided that now would be a good time to stand. I lowered myself to the floor but the minute I put weight on my legs, they buckled. Thankfully Hellboy was there to catch me. I stared up into his eyes and felt my face heat up.

"Thanks." I replied as I tried again to stand, this time with more success. He held onto my arm longer than he needed to and when I stared down at his hand he stepped back and released me, embarrassed.

We stood there awkwardly with nothing to say, stared at the ground instead of each other. Abe's arrival to the room spared us from the awkwardness.

"Are you feeling well, Rai?" He asked. I smiled and nodded. Abe looked over at Hellboy and he looked back at Abe. I watched them have a silent exchange and wondered what might have happened prior to them entering the room.

"Um… Abe, can I go to my own room now?" I asked, wanting to be alone for a little while. Abe looked away from Hellboy to nod and moved so I could leave. I left but keep my eyes on the two of them until I was no longer able to. I only made it half way down the hall before the pain hit my head and I passed out again.

* * *

I wasn't 'fit' to go on missions for three weeks because of the injuries. I had to watch Hellboy, Abe, and Clay go out and enjoy killing off all sorts of monsters. In the beginning, Hellboy came back from missions and would do nothing but brag.

After a while, he began to tell me full stories. He was my only source of entertainment while I was stuck inside and playing pranks on him was more fun than I had ever experienced.

Eventually, after many events that involve too much detail, we ended up in one of the locker rooms covered in different colored paint. After a few more intense fights such as that we started to become kind of close; I could almost say we were friends.

I found myself sitting in the kitchen about a month after the kraken mission, with my arms folded and a sneer on my face.

I screamed for the third time today only to have someone entered the room interrupting me.

"Hey Sparky, what's going on?" Hellboy asked, pulling a beer form the fridge.

"I'm bored." I whined dramatically. He laughed at me and I retaliated with the messy explosion of his beer can. "Nice." He replied sarcastically. He cursed and whipped himself off.

"I'm still bored." I complained. "Then go out." He replied, still cleaning. "I can't" I replied solemnly.

"You've been stuck in here for a month, you need to get out." Hellboy encouraged.

I thought about it for a minute and decided I liked the idea.

"Ok fine. You get me out of here and I'll owe you big time." I cheered. He rolled his eyes at me and turned to leave.

"Hellboy, hey come on." I shouted as I ran after him.

"I'll take you later I'm busy right now."He replied.

"Please!" I asked. He sighed and nodded. "I'll take you later." He said again. I jumped in excitement. "Promise?" I asked. He nodded again. I placed a hand out for him to shake and again forced him to shake with his right hand. I placed a can of beer in his left hand before smiling and walking off to find something to do until 'later'.

* * *

"_She was definitely different."_ I thought as I watched the red head leave. It made my head hurt when I thought of how much she made me think of Liz.

When she looked at me I could feel her staring but it was my eyes that she was watching not my horns or my red face or anything like that. She saw me for me, just like Liz did. I looked down to the beer in my left hand and sighed.

I caught one last glimpse of Rai as she rounded the corner at the end of the hall. Her hair defiantly stood out. It was about as red as my skin and her eye were just as vibrant a green as her hair was red.

I shook my head to clear the thought and headed in the opposite direction of Rai. I had only taken a few steps when suddenly an alarm sounded.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" I heard someone scream. It was followed by the sound of running footsteps that were heading in my direction. I turned around as Rai ran right past me saying something like, "What are you waiting for, HB?" I blinked a few times as I processed what she had said and then took off after her.

I made my way to the garage where I found Rai watching everyone and looking completely lost. I smirked at her and bumped her in the back with my stone hand. "Well let's get going newbie." I said and she glared at me with distaste for the title of 'newbie'.

She followed me anyway until we got to the truck. "Looks like you have another adventure." She said sounding disappointed. I watched her pout and cursed myself inwardly for what I was about to do. "Get in." I ordered. She looked up at me a little surprised until I clarified.

"If you're fit enough to bug me to death then you can handle one mission." I said trying to sound uninterested in actually helping her.

She smiled up at me and got on the truck. "It defiantly looks cooler on the inside." Rai said turning to me with her smile growing. I nodded and tried not to smile at her. I wasn't that friendly.

I spotted Abe making his way to the truck and nodded in his direction. He nodded back and joined Rai and me in the back of the truck.

I found it a little entertaining as I watched Rai stare out the one way glass on the side of the truck as we set out on the road. She stared at everyone we passed as if she was memorizing each of their faces. It seemed strange to me but I watched her anyway while I finished up the beer she had given me.

I couldn't help but think about how scared Liz got when people stared at her, I wondered if Rai was the same. The minute I thought of Liz, Rai turned back and caught me staring at her.

"What?" She asked giving me a confused look.

"Nothing." I replied and smirked at her. She stuck her tongue out at me and pouted childishly before turning back to the window.

The truck stopped and I closed the window in front of Rai. She stood and we waited for the door to open. Once it did she took a step to get out and I put my arm in the way. She narrowed her eyes at me and folded her arms over her chest. "Fine heroes first." She snapped sarcastically.

I smirked at her and stepped out with Abe and Rai behind me. Once locators were synced up and everyone was ready we followed the agents inside.

* * *

**(*)I know she left 13 times but I plan on bringing her back and then leaving for a '13th' so don't flip out on me. This is before the Hellboy movie but I'm not sure how much time is between now and then. I may go as far as to connect up with the movie later but I'm not there yet. =) Anyways review! **


	7. Chapter 7

"What is it?" I asked as I looked at the statue Abe was examining. "It's not old but it has suffered what appears to be hundreds of years of erosion." He muttered as if I knew exactly what he was talking about. I nodded as if I did.

I was going to ask something else but a hand grabbed me and forced me back, a red hand. I growled at him and forced my way forward so that he couldn't exclude me.

"Where is this thing?" Hellboy asked, growing impatient. "It isn't here." The Abe replied, still examining the statue.

"Then why are we here?" Hellboy asked this time actually losing patience. I glared at Hellboy and he sighed, feeling a little guilty for yelling at his friend. I rolled my eyes.

"What is it that we're looking for?" I asked politely.

"They were here and are now on their way to the pier. That's as far as we've tracked them." Clay said half paying attention to us as he looked around the museum exhibit.

I also made my way around the room and examined some of the artifacts. I felt strange as I realized some things looked very familiar. One such object was the statue that Abe continued to examine. It was a wolf that had wings folded behind its back. I found it quite strange seeing as there weren't any mythologies about winged wolves.

"Abe what is it?" I asked. He looked over to me. "Gargoyles of some kind." He replied. I stood up and looked back to Hellboy who had been watching us.

"So why aren't we still tracking them down?" I asked. Hellboy stood impatiently at the door wondering the same thing.

Abe stepped back from the statue. "Because I'm not so sure these are normal Gargoyles." He replied. I gave him a quizzical look. "There's a normal Gargoyle?" I asked sarcastically. Hellboy chuckled from my right and I laughed with him.

"Those aren't Gargoyles." A voice announced from the opposites side of the room. Heads turned as Professor Broom and another man entered the room.

The man that had spoken wore a fancy name tag on his nice suit that read "Museum Director".

"What makes you so sure?" Hellboy asked.

"Hellboy, you think by now I would be over it but every time you catch me off guard." The man said as he spotted Hellboy. I took a step behind Hellboy to avoid the man's all too familiar eyes.

"These statues were found by my very good friend. He retrieved them personally from the caves off the coast of the Red Sea. I know for a fact that they have never come to life before." The man explained.

I stared at the statues and realized where I knew them from. "No way…" I whispered. Hellboy turned to find me hiding behind him.

"What? He asked giving me a curious glance.

"So this is something else." Abe agreed, accepting the little evidence the director had to offer. "It appears something animated the stone." The professor stated as he stroked the stone of the last remaining statue.

"Where are the others?" Clay asked. The director rubbed his temples. "They are what's missing." He answered.

"So perhaps they left this one to set us on the trail." Abe thought aloud.

They began to contemplate the different theories behind the statues disappearance. Hellboy ignored them and glanced over his shoulder at me.

"What are you so jumpy about, Sparky?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Just stay quiet HB." I snapped. "What is it?" He asked in a whisper.

"It's nothing HB, just shut up before…"

"Rai, I see you decided to come along." Hellboy and I both jumped. I peeked around Hellboy and spotted the professor watching us over his glasses.

"I presume this was Hellboy's idea." We both winced at his accusation. The director looked over from his conversation with Abe.

"Rai, Rai Marshel?" The director asked as he spotted my face. Hellboy glanced over to me and then back to the director.

I ignored him in hopes that he would disappear. "Well Professor, while you boys work out the details I think HB and I have some work to do so catch you later." I announced. I grabbed Hellboy's arm and started to drag him from the room but the professor's voice stopped us.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"I froze on the spot. I felt like my heart was going to stop.

"What?" I asked and it came out as an embarrassing squeak.

"Abe." The professor replied with a smile. The large breath I had been holding came out, embarrassing me further.

"Right." I breathed before releasing Hellboy's hand and practically running out of the room.

* * *

The cold air should have cooled my nerves but I just felt myself fill with never ending energy. The pier was abandoned and I watched agents scramble for some evidence.

"Sparky." I jumped with a yelp only to find Hellboy, leaning against the same wall as me, lighting a cigar.

"Damn, don't scare me like that HB." I sighed heavily and placing my hand over my chest to calm my racing heart after that near heart attack.

"Can I ask you what happened back there?" He asked, staring down at me with something resembling concern in his eyes.

I looked back up at him before pushing off the wall and standing to face him. "I don't really know. That guy, he must have been..." I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"Must have been what?" Hellboy asked. I began to ring my fingers and decided now was the best time to stop. "You know what, I'll tell you about it later, ok." I replied with a forced smile and turned to head in Abe's direction.

I made my way towards him and as I took each step I saw a picture in my mind of events that happened all too long ago. Each step sounded too loud at first, and then quieted as I got closer to the group of agents around Abe. Finally the steps were muffled to the point where I couldn't hear them anymore. All the noise around me faded and I felt completely alone.

The faint sound of running footsteps broke the cold silence.

_He turned around when he heard her come into the tent. "Dad!" She called impatiently. He gave his fifteen year old daughter a disapproving look and she rolled her eyes at him. _

"_Fine, Dr. Marshel. These artifacts we're looking for, there suppose to be in one of those caves, right?" She jumped up and down in anticipation. He nodded and flipped through a few pages in his journal._

"_So can I scale up the cliff? You know, do my own investigating." She gave him a pleading smile and he laughed at her and patted her head as if she were five._

"_I'm not that much of a push over. You know what happened the last time I let you try your hand at rock climbing?" He laughed again when she hunched her shoulders and looked away._

"_So what? The Pope got over it. He's a very forgiving guy." She mumbled sarcastically. He continued to laugh. "You scaled his window sweet heart, that's not easy for his security officers to forgive." She whined at him._

"_Come on just let me do a little exploring." She stuck her lip out on a pout._

"_And what happened the last time I let you explore and investigate?" He asked raising an eyebrow accusingly. She folded her arms in front of her, defiantly._

"_That sitar player had it coming!" She declared. Dr. Marshel laughed again before rubbing his eyes. "What am I going to do with you? You're a trouble maker." He stated, kneeling to her level. "Am not, I'm an adventurer." She replied._

"_I'm not so sure those two are different." He said. She laughed and he smiled at her before standing again. _

"_Alright let's get this artifact and we can be back home in no time." He said. The girl sobered at the mention of home. "That's what you always say." She mumbled too low for him to hear._

_She followed him out of the tent, where the soldiers were waiting to escort them. "Coronal, are your men ready?" Dr. Marshel asked. The Coronal nodded and his men saluted. _

"_Where to sir?" He asked Dr. Marshel. The girl watched her father examine the cliffs above. Suddenly, he looked down to the ridge and began to head in that direction. _

"_Sir we go up, don't we?" One soldier asked. The doctor shook his head. The girl ran after him and tugged on her father's sleeve. "Why are we going down instead of up the cliff where the lady said they would be?" She asked. _

_She should have guessed the answer on her own. Her father always followed these gut feelings he got, even when they went against all facts, evidence, and even sanity. Its what got him this close to his dream in the first place. He was so determined and confident. She loved him for that._

_The man smiled down at his daughter. "Why not, Rai." _

* * *

"Rai, Rai… HELLO!" I jumped in surprise when I was suddenly lifted off my feet. "Hellboy? Put me down!" I screamed as I struggled against the hand that was holding me up by my collar. He complied and I put distance between me and him instantly.

"What the hell?" I growled as I glared at Hellboy and he just stared back acting like he was innocent.

"What happened to you? You totally blanked on me." Hellboy replied as he closed the large distance that I had created. "Sorry, I was just…thinking." I finished lamely.

"Yeah well come on Abe needs us." He replied. He held my arm and led me to Abe who had relocated himself to the other side of the pier.

"We have checked out all of the warehouses. We should move on to some of the higher buildings." Abe suggested to Hellboy.

"Right, let's get going boys."Hellboy announced. I reached for Hellboy's arm and stopped him before he could get to far from me. "We should check out the sewers." I stated.

"These things have wings the last place they're going to go is underground." Hellboy explained. I shook my head. "We should check it out." I repeated. "Why?" He asked in an agitated tone.

"Why not, HB?" I smiled at him and turned to walk off, but not before I heard Abe. "They are trying to hide so why not go to the one place we don't think they're going." The Sapien muttered as he pondered the idea. Hellboy grumbled something but I didn't hear it.

The sewer entrance of Hellboy's choice wasn't the choice I would have made. "Blehk, it smells like Hellboy's room." I teased. His head appeared from below and he gave me a look. "Oh you're so funny." He retorted before he disappeared back down the hole.

"Get down here Sparky." He growled. I laughed nervously before swinging my legs over the hole and dropping down. Hellboy was there to catch me, although it wasn't necessary.

"Thanks." I mumbled awkwardly as I stumbled away from him. He muttered a "No problem" before flipping on his radio. "Alright, we're in and nothing in sight. Are you sure about this, Blue?" There was static before Abe's voice was heard. "Just check things out down there and the others will check out the buildings up here."

Hellboy grumbled something about the waste of time and I punched him in the shoulder as encouragement. "Let's get going." I cheered. I started to trudge through the muck of sewage only to trip a minute later. Hellboy's hand lifted me out of the water I sputtered and coughed as I tried to wipe myself off.

"Be more careful." He muttered. I nodded and followed after him this time.

* * *

I watched my footing to make sure I wouldn't face plant like Rai had. I heard her stumble through the water behind me. She occasionally whined about the smell but other than that we moved in silence.

"This is pointless." I finally declared, coming to a halt. Rai nearly fell again as she tried to avoid running into me. I caught her arm and rolled my eyes at her when she looked up to thank me.

"I'm telling you the possibilities of finding those things down here are higher than up there." She argued. "How are you so sure?" I asked, wondering why she thought the sewers were the best place to find a winged monster.

"Because they were underground the first time." She replied before stepping around me to continue the search.

"What do you mean 'the first time'?" I asked as I caught up to her. She didn't reply.

"Hey Sparky, what do you know that I don't?" I asked trying to get some explanation out of her.

"My….father, he was a historian who was searching for these statues. He was the one that thought to look underground and there they were." Rai said giving as little detail as she could.

"_Her father?"_

I suddenly realized why she was so uncomfortable earlier.

"I never thought I would have to face that life again." Rai whispered to herself.

She stared straight ahead and therefore wasn't really watching where she was going. She tripped again and fell into the water. I rolled my eyes again and reached down to pull her out but her head suddenly resurfaced. She gasped for air and reached for my outstretched hand but something pulled her back down before she got a hold of it.

"Sparky?" I scrambled to try and find her in the murky sewage water. I spotted her head again as she resurfaced a few feet away, gasping for more air. I reached her this time and she held onto my stone arm as if her life depended on it.

"It's got my leg!" She screamed out in panic. I tried to pull her free but whatever had her wasn't letting up. "It's not stone." She shouted into my ear. "What do you mean it's not stone?" I shouted back in irritation.

"It. Isn't. Stone!" She repeated. I continued to try and keep her above water and spotted something that did in fact look like the muzzle of a real wolf biting down on her leg.

I slammed my left fist down on the things head but the thing didn't release Rai's leg. "Damn." I reached for my gun on my waist but was met with another problem. As I turned back for my Samaritan I spotted two more wolves at the end of the tunnel and they were huge.

The minute I lost focus on Rai she was pulled down again and nearly went under.

"Shit." I turned back to the problem at hand, gun forgotten, and wrapped my left arm around Rai trying to get her free.

"Damn it HB!" Rai screamed as she spotted the two other wolves for herself.

"Well I can't exactly do anything about it!" I shouted back.

"I wish I could just fry these things!" Rai cried as the wolf on her leg bit down harder and pulled her down again. "Well then why don't you!" I asked, remembering that she certainly had the power to do so.

"You're not exactly fire proof!" She stated.

"Yes I am!" _'How had I missed mentioning that?'_ I thought as I stared down at her.

"Oh." Was the only reply. Rai gripped my arm tighter

"Brace yourself for this." I did as she ordered just as a large wave of electricity shot through my body. The wolves, which had moved closer in the few seconds that we had granted them, howled in pain while the wolf on Rai's leg released her to do the same. The creatures cried out in agony while they burned in the sewage water and I couldn't help but feel a little nauseous as the energy flowed through my body.

Rai held onto my arm with her eyes shut and I watched her hair spike up with the electricity. The energy became overwhelming and I shut my eyes as well to keep myself from throwing up.

"HB, are you ok?" Rai asked with a voice full of concern. I opened my eyes slowly and glanced down at her. She still had her arms wrapped around my right arm and she stared up at me with poison green eyes that seemed to be worried. "That wasn't so bad." I replied confidently, but my voice gave me away.

"Maybe that was too much." Rai said as she slowly released my arm. She supported me and I was thankful because I'm not so sure I could have stood on my own at the moment.

"Abe, hey Abe come in." Rai spoke into her radio as I glanced around the tunnel. The three wolves were dead and the water around them was still steaming.

"Rai, what is it?" Abe asked.

"We found the wolves. Unfortunately, they're dead." Rai explained. "What happened?" Abe asked. "Well, they attacked us and we had to kill them. You guys should get down here. There are three dead wolves and I think you should take a look at Hellboy." Rai said as she peeked over at me.

"I'm fine Sparky." I glared down at her. "Shut up." She mouthed and I could see she was honestly concerned. With a roll of my eyes I let Rai lead me to the entrance that we had used to get into the tunnels.

The team took care of the mess in the tunnels while Rai helped me back to the truck. "I didn't mean to make you sick." Rai said once I had sat down in the truck. "I'm not sick, ok. I was just not expecting…that." I replied. She apologized again and then sat next to me.

"So is it later yet?" I asked after we had sat in silence for about five minutes. Rai looked up at me and sighed. "I guess so." She replied and looked away.

"What happened?" I asked. There was a long stretch of silence and I wondered if she would back out from her promise to tell me. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked..._

"My father was a historian who traveled the world looking for some of the rarest artifacts known to man. He was like a real Indiana Jones. I traveled with him because my mom was no longer around. The last 'adventure' we ever went on was to find those wolves. We were traveling with a group of soldiers that had volunteered to lead the expedition. When we found the statues we shipped them back here to the museum." She explained and I noticed that her eyes seem to darken after that last sentence. I wasn't quite sure what emotion I was seeing. She paused, hoping that I would settle for that explanation alone.

"So what happened to your old man? You said that was your 'last' expedition." I knew I was prying but I was curious and there were still some things that she hadn't explained.

"Well…when the expedition team headed back with the statues my dad and I went with the soldiers hoping we could stop in Israel to see the sights. The only problem was that there were a lot of really dangerous people looking for those wolves. To be found with the statues was dangerous but to be found without them was fatal."

She took a deep breath and I could see that she was struggling to continue. I knew how this was going to end but before I could tell her that she could stop she continued her story.

"We were ambushed. Long story short, there were casualties. Only a few soldiers and I made it out only to walk right into another mess. We had no rescue for a long time and that's kind of where my career in the military began. I was alone and those soldiers were the only family I had left." She sighed with relief and smiled at me to test her own ability to stay in control of her emotions.

"And the director? Who was he?" Her smile disappeared to be replaced with a grimace.

"He was supposed to be a friend of my fathers. When we shipped off the wolves he collected them without my father's permission. After my father…. You know …. I didn't see the man for about four years. And when I did finally see him, it turned out that he suspected me of murdering his 'dearest friend Dr. Marshel'." She snapped the last bit sarcastically and I could tell she was upset. She shook her head and used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe a stray tear from her eye.

"Ok no more of this." She declared before I could say anything. She jumped up and out of the truck only to stumble and fall back against it.

"Hey Sparky, watch it." I growled before I spotted her leg. "Damn that thing got you good." I reached down to check her knee. Her pants were torn and there were serious bite marks above her knee.

"Looks like another trip to the infirmary." I said. She whined in annoyance.

"Please Hellboy, don't tell Abe." She pleaded.

"No way Sparky he needs to take a look at that." She pouted but I ignored it. Instead I focused my attention on Abe who was heading our way.

* * *

**La di da di da. Ok we got to so into a little of Rai's history! This story is about her afterall. I'm loving the reviews please keep them coming. =)**


	8. Chapter 8

I stood with my arms folded as Abe started towards Hellboy and I. "Hey, Blue." Hellboy called as the Sapien reached us. He nodded to Hellboy before turning to me. "Rai you really did a fantastic job down there, excellent control." He said. I smiled awkwardly and shrugged off his…compliment?

"Uh…thanks." I replied. "Although the creatures are dead we now have something to examine in order to find the others." Abe said.

"Wait so you mean there are more of those things?" Hellboy asked and I nodded before Abe could reply.

"Yeah there were supposed to be seven of them. One is back at the museum, three are here, and there are three more somewhere out there." I explained.

"Wonderful." Hellboy muttered. The corners of my lips twitched upward in a small smile.

"Yes, but it must be done. Shall we head back?" Abe asked.

I stretched and nodded towards Abe. I jumped into the truck and sat next to Hellboy again. He stared down at me and I stared back pleadingly as Abe joined us. Hellboy shook his head at me and did exactly what I had begged him not to do.

"Abe, I think you should take a look at Rai's knee. One of those wolves down there bit her and it doesn't look to good." He said.

"HB, I'm fine." I growled at him. Neither of them listened to me. Abe knelt beside me and examined the wound.

"It doesn't seem too serious but I'll check it for infections once we get home." Abe said. I nodded and then glared at Hellboy. He rolled his eyes at me and then leaned back against the inside wall of the truck with his hands behind his head.

* * *

We didn't get far. Actually we didn't even get to leave the parking lot. The agents had found a trace of the other wolves in one of the warehouses. Hellboy and Abe told me to stay put and they jumped out to help.

I sat quietly and waited for something to happen. After only a few minutes, the entire lot was cleared of everyone but me. I tried to keep paranoia from entering my thoughts but a strange tension in the air made it feeling like I was being watched. The silence stretched on and finally was shattered by the sound of a gunshot.

I jumped up from my seat on the bumper of the garbage truck. The shot was followed by several continuous rounds. By the time I reached the door to the warehouse it was knocked down and an agent was thrown though the frame. I ducked and missed him but found it quite useful that he had dropped his gun.

I reached for it but was met with a terrible circumstance. The gun lay in between two massive paws and when I looked up my nose was only a centimeter away from a large muzzle. You could say that I was more than a little surprised. The creature bore it's fangs as if smirking at me and I reared back, falling back on my butt to avoid losing my nose as the wolf snapped at me.

I had no weapon and felt completely vulnerable as I sat watching the large wolf take a step towards me. I fumbled with my belt looking for something to use and my hands landed on my flash light.

I flicked the flashlight on and blinded the beast. It retraced that one step and his wings spread themselves out in front of him to act as a defense.

I found myself staring in awe at his magnificent wings. The feathers were a raven color that had an onyx tint to them. I reached out a hand to touch them and the wolf watched me, as if he too had forgotten that he was a predator and I was prey.

The feathers felt soft to the touch and the wolf stepped forward to place his nose against my outstretched hand, pushing the hand away from his wings. He stared into my eyes and I saw a light there that reminded me of the old man who had spent his life searching for these magnificent statues and had lost his life soon after completing that task. Nostalgia infected my mind.

The feeling of peace was suddenly broken by the sound of an explosion. The wolf went rigid and I felt myself being pulled back to the real world. The explosion had been a simple gunshot and the fourth wolf was dead. Someone yanked me to my feet and I glanced up to find Claying holding out a gun for me. I stared at it a moment and then remembered what was happening.

Sound brought things to life and I found myself moving out of Clay's grasp. I darted into the warehouse as others evacuated and made my way pass several crates of who-knows-what.

The crackling sound of gun shots was heard above and I turned my gaze upward to where another living creature was perched in the scaffolding, hoping to avoid Hellboy.

I turned another corner and came face to face with a very frustrated Hellboy.

"These damn things won't ever die." He barked.

Another few rounds were shot off into the sky and finally one of them nailed its target. The wolf didn't last long then because it was too slow to avoid any further shots that were fired at it.

I walked to Hellboy's side and forced him to lower his gun after the third shot. He just stared at me and I thought that maybe he was thinking the same thought. 'It wasn't fair to kill such a magnificent creature.' But I couldn't be sure that was what crossed his mind. He just stared at my hand where it held his wrist.

* * *

**Shortest chapter so far. I needed this to be a part of the 7th chapter but oh well. Reviews**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. Read + Review**

* * *

True to his word, Abe checked out my knee once we got back to the BPRD. He found nothing too serious but I was a little grossed out when he pulled a tooth from the injury. I required a few stitches but was still able to walk on it.

Abe and I walked to the library together after he took care of my injury. I was hoping to find Hellboy but I found someone far less pleasant instead.

"Director Dyke." Abe acknowledged in surprise. I was even more surprised to see him there. "Abraham." Director Dyke replied.

"You're waiting for the Professor."Abe stated the obvious.

"Yes, I've been here for a while now." The director said

"I suppose I should go find out where he is." Abe said. I panicked as Abe headed back through the door. He turned back to me when I reached out for him but he said nothing. He left me standing there, alone, with the director.

"Rai…" I turned around slowly to meet him. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." I snapped. He sighed as I glared at him.

"What happened to you?" He asked. I rolled my eyes.

"What do you think happened?" It was a stupid question for him to ask.

"Well… Rollins and you just disappeared. The next thing I know there are four bodies found in the Middle East. Then Rai Lightning appears in the papers out of nowhere. What am I suppose to think? You disappeared, Rai, and you just left your father behind. I thought you might have even…" Dyke stood there staring at me. I felt my face heat up as my temper became more difficult to control.

"You need to leave." I strained to keep myself in check. "Rai… It was just an assumption. The rest of the team defended you, I was just unsure." I glared at him and let some of my energy out. The lamp on the desk beside him exploded. I glared at him for a few more seconds when a thought dawned on me.

"You? You're the one that started that investigation against me?" I accused. Dyke took a step back and sighed. "I wanted answers Rai. What else was I to do?" He asked. Another lamp exploded on the other side of Dyke.

"You don't know what I had to go through! Frankly, I don't give a damn what you think of me. All I know is that that investigation of yours ruined my career in the military. You just had to take the last thing I loved, didn't you?!" I turned sharply on my heels and headed towards the doors. I paused for a second once I was there and blinked back tears. "You ruined everything!"

I stormed out and was still in an explosive rage when I ran right into someone. "Sparky, hey, how's your leg kid?" A voice asked. I glared but my eyes weren't focused. I literally felt as if I might have been blind with my rage but the true reason was most likely tears that had found their way into the brims of my eyes.

"Why should you care?" I shouted before brushing passed him and quickly making my way to the gym. I needed to hit something and I would spend all night working off my anger if I had to.

* * *

I knew when I saw Hellboy that something had set him off. He stormed into the kitchen and instead of grabbing his usual one can a beer he grabbed a whole six pack and marched back out the way he came. I stood from my seat next to some other agents, and followed after him.

"Hey Red, what's going?" I asked, trying to start a friendly conversation. "Bug off, Clay." He replied with a huff. I sighed and continued to walk beside him.

"So does this have something to do with the shouting we heard down the hall last night?" I asked as I recalled what had sounded like Rai's voice the previous night.

"It's doesn't matter." Hellboy growled before lengthening his strides and leaving me behind. I stopped and turned back to the kitchen where I found the other agents watching from behind the doorway.

I decided now would be the best time to go find Rai. Nobody had seen her since she went off with Abe to get her leg fixed up. Abe was my best shot at finding out what happened to the little squirt.

I was about half way down the hall leading to the elevator when I heard a crash come from the room down an adjacent hall. My curiosity got the better of me and I found myself in the doorway of one of the spare rooms that was used as a gym. To say it was trashed would be an understatement.

I stepped over a few splintered benches and shattered glass until I spotted something that surprised me even more than the state of the room. I pushed a tattered punching bag out of the way and saw her more clearly.

Rai was here, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest and her face buried in her arms. There were a few pieces of glass stuck in her hair but she didn't seem to be injured.

"Rai? Hey, sweet heart, are you ok?" I asked as I reached a hand out to pull the glass from her hair gently. She showed no signs of moving until I had successfully yanked the last jagged shard from her head. Then she lifted her head slowly and stared into my face. She looked like a lost child as she sat there with her head still leaning on her arms. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying and I felt myself lose some years as I watched her cold eyes search mine.

"What do you want?" She asked finally, in a very harsh voice. I flinched but regained myself and knelt down beside her. "What happened kid?" I asked wondering if I should place my arm around her or if that would be too weird.

"Dyke happened." She replied bitterly.

"The director? Why, what did he do?" I asked, watching her glare at her shoes.

"It doesn't matter. He's just a jerk and I hate his guts." She replied.

"Can't argue with that." I replied. Rai sighed and looked up at me. "Why are you here?" She asked with the same cold and empty eyes.

"I was actually looking for you." I said. She continued to stare at me and there was no need for her to voice her question. "Because Hellboy was a little upset by whatever you said to him yesterday." I finished. She was a little confused but something clicked in her head, clearing everything up for herself.

"Oh no… He was the one I snapped at in the hallway? Damn it!" She jumped up and winced when she remembered her knee.

I stood as well and tried to help her through the mess she had created. She ignored me and tried to get out as fast as she could.

"I thought it was just some other agent. I didn't think it was him, damn." Rai made it to the door and dashed out of the room. It wasn't hard for me to follow seeing as she was injured. Once we got to an intersection of hallways, she looked around in a panic, unsure of where to go.

"Where would he be?" She asked as she turned around to me. I shrugged and she whined impatiently. She took off down another hall and I decided not to follow this time. I just watched her go and shrugged again.

* * *

I ignored the pain in my leg as I ran through the halls. I knew where Hellboy's room was because of the various pranks I had pulled there. I would start looking for him there.

_"I really shouldn't care about this so much. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up."_ I thought to myself. Hellboy and I weren't really close but I felt like that was what I wanted our relationship to be. I continued towards Hellboy's room.

My heart dropped when I found myself there and he was nowhere to be found.

I cursed and turned back the way I came. I was only half way down the hall with my eyes on the ground in despair when I ran into a rock, one particular rock that was purposely put in my way by the owner. I wheeled backwards and held my face.

I glanced up to find Hellboy standing there with his right fist held out in the air for me to run into. It seemed like something that he should have been rolling on the floor laughing about, but apparently he wasn't in the mood.

"HB…" I said, attempting to smile. He didn't return the warmth. I cringed internally. With a sigh I did the only thing I could think of. Eating my pride and dignity in one bite, I bowed my head in front of him.

"I'm so very sorry for yelling at you. It was unintentional and I didn't even realize it was you. Please forgive me." I stood with my jaw clenched and my eyes squeezed shut as a moment of silence passed. I glanced up to see if he was even there anymore. He stared down at me with a ridiculous smirk on his face.

"Well aren't you cute." He replied, causing me to blush insanely. I stood up straight instantly and glared at him with the blush showing no signs of dimming. Hellboy lifted his left hand and tapped me on the nose to further embarrass me.

"Hey I was just trying to say I was sorry. Now I'm not so sure I am." I snapped turning my back to him. He laughed at me and shoved me out of the way so he could get to his room.

"Sure you are." He called back and I followed him reluctantly. He invited me into his room and I felt a little awkward as I stood there amongst his things.

"Here" Hellboy sensed my distress and cleared a seat for me before taking his own seat on his bed. Once I sat down I found myself surrounded by his cats. One decided to make my lap its new bed and I scratched his head lovingly.

"I never did get the chance to ask, what's with the cats?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"What's with your hair?" Hellboy retorted. My smile became a glare and I dropped the subject.

"So can I ask a serious question instead of that?" He asked. I nodded. "What were you so mad about yesterday? That wasn't all just because I made you go to the infirmary was it?" Hellboy asked. I sighed and held one of the cats in a hug.

"The Director was here. I had a chat with him and it wasn't so friendly." I replied. Hellboy nodded and continued to stare at me, hoping for details.

"Well aren't you a curious cat? Fine, I told you that Dyke thought I had something to do with my father's death. Turns out he issued an investigation against me while I was in the military, the same investigation that cause me to quit." I said. Hellboy nodded and stood from his seat on his pickup truck bed.

"Well, sounds like you need some cheering up." Hellboy stated sounding quite out of character. "What?" I asked with a smile, as I stood up. The cat jumped from my lap and onto the floor.

"I think now counts as later, don't you?"He said. I perked up instantly at the mention of Hellboy's promise.

"Absolutely." I cheered.

* * *

"_All it would take to cheer this girl up was some ice cream?"_ I thought as I sat watching Rai buy her ice cream across the street. I stood in an alley watching her and cursed myself for noticing that Liz didn't live that far from here. I shook my head to clear the thought and watched Rai thank the person at the counter and then run back across the street with a large smile on her face.

"And here's your reward." She announced with a grin. She held out an ice cream cone and I stared down at her quizzically. "Oh, just take." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright then." I replied, taking the ice cream from her and inspecting it. I watched her take a large bite out of her own treat before I tasted mine. It wasn't bad.

We walked down one alley after another, not heading anywhere in particular. There were no words exchanged until Sparky finished her treat and I finished mine. Then she decided to start up conversation. She asked me all sorts of questions about missions I had done in the past and I couldn't help but tell the stories of my heroic adventures.

"So you've really met a vampire before?" She asked. I nodded.

"It was an ugly one too. She didn't have the whole, 'eternal youth' thing so she went around killing girls in order to get it." Rai made a face but asked another question before I could laugh at her. "So how did you kill her?" She asked anxiously.

"I smashed her under a few dozen tons of stone and wood." I said with a smirk. A lie, but she didn't need to know that I was actually getting my ass handed to me by an ancient goddess while my old man took care of the vampire bitch. She rolled her eyes as if she could tell I was lying but continued on to question me about Zombies.

I found myself actually enjoying the walk with her until I suddenly noticed the building that we were passing and forced myself to stop.

* * *

I walked beside Hellboy and couldn't keep myself from laughing. He was supposed to be my enemy. The guy I hated and despised for the shit he made me go through on my first two months in the BPRD. Yet here I was, laughing at a joke he just told about the living dead.

Everything seemed fine until he suddenly stopped laughing and stopped walking for that matter. I had only taken a few steps when I noticed he was no longer beside me. I turned back and spotted him starring at something across the street. I quietly rejoined him and tried to see what he was staring at.

Across the street was a large building that resembled a school or an institute. There were a few lights on in the second and third stories of the building. It was surprising, seeing as there shouldn't have been anyone awake at this hour. It was almost two in the morning. I gave the building one last inspection and then looked back up at Hellboy.

There was no emotion on his face but his eyes told a different story. There was a mix of conflicted emotion behind those yellow orbs. I watched him sift through them until my curiosity got the better of me.

"Hellboy? Is everything alright?" I asked, feeling stupid for asking. There were a few minutes of silence where I continued to inspect his features. Finally he snapped out of it and the winning emotion in his eyes seemed to be anger.

"I'm fine." He snapped, forgetting to be quiet in the sleeping neighborhood. He turned on his heels, sharply, and practically left me in the dust. I stood staring after him, dazed by his bipolar attitude. I glanced at the building once more before racing to catch up with him.

"Hey, HB, wait up!" I shouted after him. He stopped his angry march to nowhere, and I nearly ran into him. "Damn Red, what was that about?" I asked. That one phrase triggered something in Hellboy's system to go off. He reached out and grabbed the front of my jacket and shirt. The next thing I knew I was being lifted off my feet by an emotionally conflicted demon.

"Don't call me Red." He growled in a viciously dead voice. I stared into his eyes unsure of what was happening. My mouth just hung open as I tried to catch my breath. I realized that this was the first time I had ever called him Red. It was always HB, or Hellboy, or jerk. I never actually got around to calling him 'Red'.

_What had happened?_ I asked myself as I hung suspended in the air by Hellboy's fist. He slowly lowered me to the ground when his sanity caught up with him. He placed me on my feet and stared down at me, probably wondering the same thing that I was.

"We better get back. They'll be wondering where we are." Hellboy said in a voice that was almost inaudible. I nodded slowly, unable to remove my eyes from his face. His eyes wouldn't meet mine and suddenly he was walking again. I followed about ten feet behind him, unsure of what had just happened or why he had exploded on me.

We were having fun. He seemed to be enjoying it just as much as I was. _What did I do? Was it something I said? Why couldn't I call him Red? Everyone else did._ The more I thought the angrier I became. I found myself burning holes into his back as I followed him through his secret entrance into the BPRD.

The minute I reached a familiar hall I changed my direction and headed for my room rather than continue to follow the jerk. I hated how upset he had made me. I hated how much it hurt that he was angry with me. I hated it even more because I didn't know why he was angry with me.

* * *

I noticed when she stopped following me and decided to change directions as well. I could practically feel the heated glares she was giving me on the entire walk home. It was almost a relief to have that disappear, but I couldn't blame her.

It was Liz's newest institute that we had stopped in front of. It was too much for me to handle. The light in her room was on and I almost felt like she could see me. It made me feel sick to think that she might see me with this new girl. I couldn't control the anger that had appeared when I thought about how it should have been Liz standing beside me laughing and smiling.

It was made even worse when she called me Red.

That was Liz's name for me. Everyone else called me that but it was worse to have Rai call me that as well. I was sorry but I didn't know how to tell her that. The look on her face was enough to guess that she most likely wouldn't accept it.

I felt guilty that I had attacked her the way that I did. It wasn't fair to explode on her when she had been so sorry about snapping at me earlier. She at least had a good reason. That thought was displaced the minute it came to my head. I did have a good reason. 'Liz' was the reason.

* * *

**It went from sad to happy to sad again... how depressing. Next chapter will be a lot happier. Reviews please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Tenth Chapter! Read+Review**

* * *

The pounding on the door was enough to make my splitting headache even worse. I crawled out of bed regretfully and opened the door to find a red faced Manning.

"You and Hellboy are going to get it!" He shouted in my face. I almost passed out right then and there. I replied with a sigh. "It was Hellboy's idea and you're lucky I went with him. He had this bipolar attack last night the minute he laid eyes on this creepy institute place." I said, half asleep.

Something flickered through Manning eyes at the mention of an institute but it was too quick for me to decipher.

"It doesn't matter. I had a private interview planned for today but because of you two, there was another Hellboy sighting!" Manning screamed, oblivious of all of the other sleeping residents on this floor.

"Well good, you won't have to go then. You're welcome, now if you don't mind I have some 'Zs' that I would like to get back to." I started to close the door but Manning slammed it with his fist. _That's going to bruise. _I smiled when Manning winced in pain. It didn't keep him from yelling at me though.

"Oh no. It's not a private interview anymore. It's a damn Television broadcast!" Manning wiped some nervous sweat off his forehead and took a deep breath.

"I need an agent to go with me and seeing as Hellboy has already been punished, I've decided that _you_ are going to do it." Manning didn't even smile as he placed the order. My jaw dropped and I stared at him in utter dismay. He gave me a time and place to meet him before turning and leaving without so much as a thank you.

I cursed aloud for everyone to hear before slamming my door so that I could get ready for this 'assignment' that Manning had given me.

Once Manning had 'briefed' me on all of the tricks that talk-show-hosts use to screw with their interviewees, we found our ride and headed in the direction of the studio. I guessed that I looked awful, seeing as that was how I felt, but Manning assured me that I looked fine, for a bodyguard. I rolled my eyes at his pathetic compliment and stood backstage while Manning talked with the producers and host.

The host was fairly normal. He looked like every other slimy celebrity in the city. He was tall and thin with neatly combed hair. I watched him sit at his impossibly neat desk on stage while Manning sat in the one chair that was farthest away from the host's desk. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that. As the rest of the employees worked on the lights and helped the audience to their seats I turned my attention elsewhere.

There was really nothing interesting backstage. Only a few cans of paint, a few pair of interesting looking painter's goggles and a lost pair of painter's gloves were present. They were most likely used for some other studio show. I picked up a pair of the goggles to examine and decided to keep a pair. They were cool and by the look of them they seemed to be pretty expensive as well. I slipped a pair into my pocket and watched the crowed fill the studio.

I could obviously guess the theme of today's show. Fans had 'Hellboy' T-shirts, hats, posters, toys, and comics with them as they entered the room. _Well I see where he gets his big ego._ I looked at Manning and found some enjoyment in the sight of his face turning pale.

It was at that moment when I was silently laughing that I realized the show had started.

"Well today we have Director Tom Manning with us. Now tell me Tom, you've been on a multitude of other shows like this and everyone seems to ask you the same question, is Hellboy real?" The host paused for dramatic affect and the crowd cheered at the name of their comic book hero.

"He sure knows how to get to the point." I mumbled from my position off stage. I could see the show and I was sure that the host and Manning could see me, but the crowd couldn't.

"Well Kenton, I only have one answer for you and it's the same one that I give everyone else, there is no such thing as Hellboy." Manning lied smoothly, or at least it would have been smoothly if he wasn't sweating so much. I face palmed and apparently the host saw me.

"I see… well the last sighting seems to say differently. If it's alright with you Tom, I would like to ask your assistant a few questions." Kenton Johnson smiled at the crowed and waved a hand at me. An employee gave me a shove and the next thing I knew I was stumbling onto the stage in front of a national audience.

I stood frozen in surprise and stared at the crowed of people and cameras.

Manning, who was at first confused as to who his 'assistant' was, glared at me as I made a complete fool of myself. He cleared his throat and I tore my eyes away from the crowed to look at him. He gave me a warning glance and then turned back to Kenton with a smile. I took that as a sign to sit down. I took the seat closest to Kenton's desk in hopes of looking better that Manning did.

"Now what's your name beautiful?" Kenton asked in what he thought was a charming voice. I would have rolled my eyes if I wasn't so nervous. I did my best to focus on him rather than the crowed.

"My names Lightning." I replied without smiling. Kenton laughed, causing the audience to laugh as well.

"Lightning? Really? Are you some sort of an agent for this mysterious BPRD?" Kenton asked with a smile still plastered on his face. I raised an eyebrow and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"British Pancake reserve and development?" I asked making up whatever random words popped into my head that the acronym could stand for. While the crowd laughed, I said it over again in my head to make sure it made sense. _Wow, it almost did._

Kenton was not amused. "Well what do you think, my dear? Does Hellboy really exist?" Kenton smiled but it was obviously forced just like the polite voice. I tapped a finger on my chin, pretending to think.

"I don't think so." There was a sound of disappointment in the audience. "I mean, the comics are good and all, but I don't know anything about a real Hellboy working for the government and I've been a US soldier for almost five years." My lie was smoother than Manning's but Kenton Johnson still wouldn't accept it.

"What if you were given photographic proof?" Kenton asked with a sly smile. I shrugged my shoulders and watched as Kenton pulled a small remote from his under his desk. A screen behind us flickered to life and I mentally smirked, for I was going to ruin this man's day.

The remote flipped through some pictures and when he finally found what he was looking for I sent a twitch of electricity into his device.

"Behold, real evidence that Hellboy exists." Kenton declared causing Manning to gulp nervously as he awaited the picture to appear on screen. A picture did indeed arrive but it wasn't the one that Kenton wanted. A quick internet search brought up a picture of a steamed lobster that was going to be someone's dinner.

The entire room erupted in laughter and Kenton franticly tried to change the picture. Manning heaved a sigh of relief that went unnoticed by everyone because of the Kenton's quick announcement that they were taking a break for commercial. I smiled at the crowed and realized how much fun it was to mess with people that weren't Hellb…well I didn't really want to think about him at the moment.

I watched Kenton get up from his seat and leave the stage, most likely to talk to maintenance. I got up as well and Manning stretched out his tense muscles.

Manning gave me a pat on the back and told me to keep up the good work but I wasn't paying attention. I had an idea for the next section of the show, a wonderfully, awful idea.

* * *

The three large flat screens were on in the conference room and almost every agent in the BPRD was sitting or standing in the tight space in hopes of seeing the show. I even spotted Abe and the professor on the other side of the room. I looked up to the screens and couldn't keep the smile off my face.

When Manning picked Rai to be his "bodyguard" for the interview, I felt sorry for her. Of course, she was Manning's favorite, even if he was mad about her leaving with Hellboy the other night. She had to take the punishment and yet there she was, enjoying herself on national television. I shook my head and laughed.

On screen was Manning's talk-show interview. That didn't seem all that interesting until Rai appeared on stage, then all hell broke loose. When they finally cut to commercial I moved across the room to stand by Abe.

"She sure knows how to make things interesting, doesn't she Clay?" Abe said without looking at me. I nodded and laughed.

When the show came back on I spotted a very large grin on Rai's face and doubted it meant anything good. Manning also seemed to be looking better, less nervous.

"Alright, well unfortunately, we can't show you our photographic evidence because of some technical difficulties…" Rai cut him off. "Oh, but wasn't _that_ the photographic evidence that you meant to showed us?" There were several laughs from the audience. The host brushed off her remark.

"Moving on, Lightning you told us that you don't believe Hellboy exists. Why not?" Rai rolled her eyes at the question.

"If Hellboy really existed I'm sure that it would be great news for you. But he doesn't. He's a made up character in a comic book. People all over the world like to make up stories like this. It's a tourist attraction." The audience at the studio began to mumble and whisper to each other. The host just laughed at her.

"That's all you have to say about it? Oh come now, that's not a very convincing statement, dear soldier." Rai smirked at him.

"Well, sorry, but I think it's stupid. I'm not going to just throw away my dignity and start announcing to the world: There's Hellboy! There's Hellboy! No, over there!" Rai stood during her dramatic rant and walked towards the host's desk.

Manning seemed to be getting nervous again as he watched Rai and the host smiled at the audience as if he knew what was going on. Rai reached into her pocket and produced a pair of clear painter's goggles. Before the host knew what was going on Rai slipped the goggles onto his face.

She didn't even give him a second to react before she lifted a bucket from behind the hosts chair and tipped the contents of it onto his head.

He stood up in surprise as he was hit by a large amount of red paint. The audience and everyone in the BPRD conference room couldn't believe their eyes. The host pulled the goggles off his eyes and rested them on his forehead while he tried to wipe paint off his face. Rai had a large grin on her face and even Manning couldn't help smile at how ridiculous the host looked.

The room quieted as they waited for someone to speak. The host fell back in his chair and Rai leaned forward to rest both of her elbows on his desk. She rested her chin on both of those hands and gave the host a big smile before jumping up in fake surprise and screaming, "There's Hellboy!"

People in the conference room held their sides as they laughed and some even cried. Rai just stood there and was almost hit by something that someone had thrown on stage. She reached down and discovered a 'Hellboy' plushy that some fan had sacrificed to show their love. Rai smiled and hugged the plushy. After several minutes of watching the employees try to contain the situation, Manning and Rai were escorted off the stage and out of the studio.

* * *

Manning wouldn't shut up on the entire ride home. You would think he would be mad about the little stunt I pulled but no, he was ecstatic. He believed that it would be a long time before anyone asked him to do an interview or give a quote.

I sat in silence and hugged the Hellboy doll to my chest. It looked a lot like him and that made me want to strangle it. I hadn't slept well. I had a huge headache and the last thing I wanted this morning was to be woken up by Manning's lovely… scratch that there's nothing lovely about Manning.

I sat there and stared out the window, allowing myself to give in to my thoughts.

Maybe Hellboy believed otherwise, but I considered us friends. I had thought about it all night and I honestly believed that he was the best friend that I had in the BPRD; the best friend that I'd ever had. He was the one that made me laugh, made me frustrated, saved my life, and then turned around ruined everything. I found myself caring about him and worrying for him. Why couldn't he see that? The answer was already clear.

Liz.

She was who he was always thinking about, the reason Hellboy hated me when I first arrived. I had already come to the conclusion that the 'institute across the street' was hers. I felt a little bit of pain when I realized that he would always pick her over me. I hated it.

Everything, it was all about her.

_I swear if I ever meet her I'm going to kick her ass, no matter how much Hellboy is going hate me for it._

* * *

**Happy Holidays everyone! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	11. Chapter 11

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* * *

I heard about the show on my way out of the kitchen. It sounded like the typical thing to happen, considering it was Sparky.

_I really need to break the habit of calling her that. _

I couldn't stand to go back to my room. I had spent most of the day trying to write that letter to Liz that I could just never get right. I needed a break from the depressing atmosphere and found myself heading towards the library in search of Abe.

The sound of voices made me stop outside the golden doors that stood partially open.

"…because she shouldn't be allowed to roam free." I moved so no one in the room would see me and listened for another voice.

"She is not a prisoner here…"

"And yet your own son is."

I recognized the voices as my father and Director Dyke.

"She is reckless. She has no interest in saving human lives."

"I've witnessed actions that prove otherwise."

There was a moment of silence where I heard something hit a table.

"She didn't kill her father." My father said.

"I know she did and I won't stop until I can put my dear friend's soul at rest and put that freak in a straight-jacket."

I moved to the shadows when I heard footsteps coming my way. I watched Dyke leave the room in a huff and disappear up the elevator.

"You don't need to worry about him, my dear." I glanced back to the door and tried to see who my father was talking to now. My eyes widened when I spotted her standing in the middle of the room.

I had guessed who they were talking about but I couldn't believe that he had really…Dyke had said all of that right in front of Rai. She stood there with some kind of red stuffed animal held to her chest, squeezing the life out of it. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs but I could see the faint shimmer of tears as they slid down the sides of her face.

Manning stood behind her looking utterly lost as to what had just happened. My father walked up to Rai and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and for a moment I thought she might shake it off. She didn't, in fact her shoulders started to shake as if she was sobbing. Nevertheless, she stood strong and didn't make a sound.

I backed away from the door, not knowing what to do. I suddenly felt guilty. She really didn't need to take this, from Dyke or from me. I rubbed the back of my head and simply walked away.

* * *

It wasn't like I hated where I was. I just hated not understanding who I was. People here kept telling me that I had control; I just needed to find it.

I walked down the hall way with my arms wrapped around myself. The soft white sweater that all patients were given made me feel a little more comforted.

I stared out the tall windows that lined the hall. It was dark out and the courtyard seemed unwelcoming and almost scary. The trees arched in weird angles and the grass was all dead. Benches were falling apart and wasting away. I spotted something move in the dark shadow of a tree and hoped it wasn't the same visitor that always found his way into my life.

It took only a few minutes to make it down to the courtyard and I glanced around looking for any sign of him. The courtyard was silent without even the whistling of crickets that often caused crazy Louise, in room B83, to have panic attacks.

"Hello?" I called into the dark. Something moved to my right and then to my left. For the first time in a long time, I was scared of something besides myself. I could tell that whatever it was it wasn't a person; it was much larger. I heard the noise again and jumped.

"Hello? Who's there?" The thing finally stopped moving but I could hear it breathing. I felt chills run down my spine and turned around slowly. In the dark was a large creature standing on all fours. It had wings that rested lightly on its shoulders and eyes that shined in the dark. It took a step towards me, coming out of the shadows, and I stepped back.

"What do you want?" I asked, guessing that it probably wouldn't answer. The creature was a wolf that stood at least a foot taller than me. It stumbled forward and collapsed in front of me. I felt something inside of me soften as I spotted a trail of blood coming from the wolf's shoulder.

I knelt down and placed a hand gingerly on the wolf's head. It opened its eyes and stared at me. I sat there in silence until something reached the wolf's ears and it lifted itself back to its feet.

Someone hopped over the brick wall that separated the yard from the rest of the world. The wolf bared its fangs and stood between me and the figure in the shadows.

I opened my mouth to ask the person who they were and what they wanted when two shots were fired at the wolf. The magnificent animal crashed to the ground as soon as it leaped towards the attacker. My lungs sucked in a gasp and I stumbled forward to touch the animal as it breathed its last breath of life.

* * *

**(1 hour earlier)**

The alarm upset a lot of the other agents but I didn't care. I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep tonight anyways.

The blocked off parking garage was silent as the cars came to a halt inside. I jumped out of one of the cars and took a look around. When the garbage truck opened I turned away and ignored Hellboy as he got out and walked past me. I felt his eyes on my back but refused to turn around.

It had been a week since he had taken me out for ice cream. A week that I had spent in Clay's shadow in order to avoid Helboy and everyone else for that matter.

"The wolf was sighted in this area. He could only have taken one of the four streets so we'll split up and check each route thoroughly." Clay announced. Abe nodded and explained the direction of each rout. I recognized a street name that was near the creepy institute and obviously Hellboy did too.

"I'll take the east route." He said acting as if he was just being helpful. Abe didn't buy it.

"I disagree, Rai and I shall take the east and you will go with Clay and cover the north." Hellboy huffed in disappointment but did as he was told, following Clay out of the parking garage. I smiled at Abe to show that I was thankful and he gave me a look that suggested he knew what I was thinking.

We had been walking for several minutes before we met the unexpected fork in the road.

"We have to cover both roads." Abe said. I nodded and started down one of the alleys leading to a main road. I heard Abe radio the information about the separation into the others and I was sure that Hellboy would be displeased; or rather I hoped he would be.

I walked for a mile without any sign of the target. To my luck and surprise the wolf ended up finding me. It landed only a few feet behind me and seemed not to recognize me as a threat. I felt bad about simply attacking the animal but I reminded myself that the sooner these things were gone the sooner Dyke would have to leave.

The wolf spread its wings to take off when it heard my gun. I hit it in the shoulder blade where its wing was attached and the creature howled in pain. It somehow managed to lift itself despite the wounded wing but didn't get far. I raced after it, only losing it for a minute or two at a time.

I froze when I broke through an alley and spotted the wolf's destination. The building was still just as creepy as it had been when I saw it on my walk with Hellboy.

_"Should I really go in? What if I see her? What does she look like? How would Hellboy react? What if he showed up here?"_

A few among the millions of questions running through my head as my finger lingered above the radio comp. I gulped and sent a quick message to Abe before disconnecting the line so that Abe wouldn't be able to question anything.

I took my time crossing the street but when I heard a trembling voice call out from the closed off court yard I quickened my pace and hopped the wall. When I touched ground I found myself standing before a girl with dark hair and bruises underneath her eyes that suggested that she hadn't had a good night sleep in quite some time. Something I had become familiar with lately.

My eyes passed over her and landed on the wolf that stood protectively in front of the girl. I sighed and lifted my gun. I sent the wolf an assuring nod, explaining that I would make this quick and painless, before firing twice and hitting the sad creature on the mark.

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**Who wants to take a guess as to who the mystery girl is? Anyone? Anyone? **

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**Until next time! (we shall see)**


	12. Chapter 12

**YAY! I totally love you guys. I can't believe how many people like my story. It's not like super famous but its still good to see who reviews and adds this to their favorites and such. Thank you all so much and I hope you will all continue to read and to review. **

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My hands shook as I lowered the gun and my eyes caught sight of the girl as she stumbled towards the wolf and stretched out a hand to it. She seemed sad for a minute and then her eyes flashed in anger towards me.

"How dare you? What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouted. I was taken aback by her assault and stood silent. She continued to verbally attack me.

"What makes you think you have the right to end a creature's life? What did he ever do to you?" She roared. I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.

"I was just…um…I was just following orders." I stuttered. She literally snarled at me. I tried to defend myself.

"I mean, these things are dangerous. I had to…" It sounded like a lame excuse even to me. She didn't accept it either.

"You killed this animal simply because of what it was. You're the monster not him!" I was taken even more off guard but this time I fought back.

"Hey lady, calm down. I had a job to do and I did it. Get over it." I turned around to leave when a large amount of heat flew past my face. The tree to my right exploded.

"What the hell?"

The girl was angry but I don't understand how that gave her the right, or even the ability, to toss giant fire balls at me.

"Are you with professor Broom?" The girl asked, still sounding quite aggressive.

I nodded slowly and tried to comprehend the fact that this lady was on fire, and not in a figurative way. She was literally engulfed in flames from head to toe.

"You're just like Hellboy." She whispered, her fire dimming to a soft blue. That one phrase made everything click in my head.

"You…you're Liz." The professor's words rang in my ears. "_She was an agent here much like yourself, and she had abilities similar to yours."_

I glanced at the girl's hands. _Yeah, I can see how that might be similar_. I let the anger ignite some of my own energy. Only two words came to mind after that. _Pay back._

"How do you know my name?" She asked. I barked a cruel laugh as the electricity started to radiate from my finger tips. It felt good. My cold energy versus her heated energy. I wonder who would win.

"Everybody's always talking about you. How could I pass up this opportunity to get the payback I deserve?" I tossed my gun behind me. I needed this to be at least some fun because it was probably the only chance I was ever going to get. The girl took a step back but continued to look like she had control. I knew she didn't and that just encourage the smirk on my lips to grow.

"Then I'll pay you back for what you did to that innocent animal." She said but her voice was not as fierce as it had been.

I began to circle her like a predator stalking its prey. She stood tense but I had never been more relaxed. My foot steps were lazy but precise. I told myself that I knew what I was doing but in reality I was sure my sanity was slipping. I had been walking on glass recently. Dyke and Hellboy were going to be the death of me so why not make one thing right before that happened. A smirk grew more prominent with every minute that she spent glaring at me and I could tell that it irritated her.

"Do you even care about anyone in the BPRD?" I started, causing her to cringe. "I mean you've left so many times. It's just ridiculous. Don't you think by now some of them hate you?" I asked, continuing to circle around her.

"You don't understand…"

"And then there's Hellboy. I mean, he takes it the worst." There was some dark emotion in Liz's eyes at the mention of Demon boy. I couldn't place it exactly but it did remind me a little of him.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you." I came to a halt after walking in a half circle around her. She raised her eyes to meet mine. Anger became ferocity in a blink of an eye. She was beyond pissed off and the heat in the courtyard was an indicator of that.

Without warning and quicker than I could comprehend, she closed the distance between us and threw a punch at me. I didn't even have time to duck and ended up flying back against the nearest tree. I regained myself as quickly as I could. As I tried not to stumble I held the bruise on my face. It was sure to have at least second degree burns. Military and combat instincts kicked in, readying me for the fight that I had hoped for.

I didn't hesitate in retaliation. She pulled her arm out for another punch when I reached out and grabbed her fist before she could land another blow. She tried to hit me with her free hand but I avoided it only to have it unfortunately fly back and slap me across the face. I felt the flesh burn from her elemental power but kept my hold on her hand. I yanked her arm, bringing my knee up to meet her stomach. The air was knocked form her lungs and I released her, letting her stumble around until she found a tree to lean on.

"Had enough?" I asked, wiping some sweat and blood from my face. Everything inside of me prayed that her answer would be 'no'. I wasn't finished with her yet. She didn't disappoint.

She charged forward and I threw the first punch this time. She avoided and I found my back exposed to her. Something hit me hard in the back and the sound of a crack resonated throughout my body. I guessed that it wasn't my spine, seeing as I could still stand, but a sharp pain split through my right shoulder blade. I lied to myself saying that I was fine but that didn't make it hurt any less. I stumbled, almost losing balance but recovered fast enough to block the kick that she tried to land on my face.

* * *

"What?" Hellboy roared when I passed on Rai's findings. I sighed and repeated the statement. "Rai has found the wolf and is perusing it towards Okan Boulevard." Hellboy barked a few swear words before giving me his assurance that he was going to give Rai a piece of his mind when he saw her again.

I let the radio die and started to retrace my steps to where Rai and I had parted ways.

She was angry with him; Rai was. The reason was something I wasn't sure of just yet. Her emotions were similar to the emotions Hellboy always displayed whenever Liz was around. I guessed that that meant Rai liked Hellboy, though I couldn't understand why.

I knew about Hellboy's aggressive attack when he took Rai out for ice cream. The whole base knew about it somehow or other. Rai had walked around for two whole depressed hours before someone found her and sent her to her room on the night of the fight. She had been like that for a week now. To add that emotional hurt to what she was going through with Director Dyke around… it was just all the more painful.

I sighed and continued on the road in front of me. Life was just so much more difficult when Hellboy was added to the equation.

* * *

I was the superior fighter when it came to actual talent; that much was clear. I had the experience and the control. She had zero control and that's why I wasn't doing as well as I had hoped. Liz had a black eye, a large amount of bruises and scrapes, and definitely a broken nose. (She hit it on my shoulder when she tried to tackle me to the ground, so technically that was her fault.)

The only reason I wasn't fairing that well was because I had been lit on fire at least three times. My jacket had been discarded after the sleeves caught fire and my tank top was singed in more than a few places. She was psychotic. Her fire went everywhere and the courtyard looked like a scene from a horror movie with the way that it had been torched. _How had no one inside noticed? _The thought went to the back of my mind to be dealt with later.

We were both running out of steam. Liz was losing focus and I was losing energy. Both of those things actually worked towards her favor. The less focus she had the worse the flames became. I couldn't even land a blow without sacrificing a bit of my own skin. I had never prayed for rain as much as I did now; something to put out her flames and enhance the destructive potential of my energy.

"Ready to give up yet?" She asked.

"Oh come on… I'm winning." I tried to laugh but my chest was hurting too badly.

"Why do you hate me so much?" She asked in a rasped voice, catching me off guard. I paused for a moment, staring at her wide eyed and then my eyes narrowed into a dark glare.

"He likes you…" I whispered. Liz seemed to be confused. "Hellboy does. And the thing is, our friendship was ruined because…because I'm not you."

I needed to explain further but it hurt to say it out loud. I wasn't her: why was that such a bad thing? I blinked back frustrated tears. It had been so long since I had something to fight for. I had a home and someone important that I wanted to keep.

_Why did he pick her over me?_

Liz seemed almost sympathetic about my situation, as if she had read the thoughts in my mind, but it was ruined when we heard a car's schreeching brakes coming from around the front of the building.

"Looks like we have company." Liz said. I nodded.

"Let's finish this." I wasn't sure who said it first but it didn't seem to matter.

She stumbled forward and I used the last bit of my strength to charge towards her as well. My fist was aimed for her face, a quick knockout, but hers was aimed to knock the air out of my lungs. I should have suspected that it would be worse.

My fist hit high, connecting with her face, jaw and nose cracking loudly under the pressure of physical power and electricity.

Her fist was a packed explosive that went off the minute it made contact with my abdomen.

Those large windows in the back side of the building suddenly didn't seem so beautiful. Not when you were being sent through them, landing on the broken glass, or rolling across the ground picking up stray pieces in your skin.

* * *

The explosion told us exactly where to look once we were outside the institute. I lengthened my strides and charged ahead of the others. The sight of the institute's courtyard was one of a horror film. The strange, mangled trees were on fire. Light poles around the yard had exploded. One of the large windows in the face of the building had been shattered. And in the middle of it all was a body lying on the ground.

I raced forward and knelt beside the figure. "Rai? Sparky, can you hear me?" I called, lifting the person so I could see their face. It wasn't Rai.

"Liz?" I couldn't believe my eyes as I traced one of the fresh cuts on her face. She winced and opened her eyes slowly.

"Red…" She smiled at me weakly then glanced up at the broken window. I turned around to watch the window as well.

My eyes met a pair of acid green orbs. She rested on her hands and knees, covered in substantial amounts of burns. Glass shards were etched into her face and her hair had obviously been yanked a few times to put it in that kind of mess. None of that seemed quite as painful as the look in her eyes.

The minute Rai saw me the three other windows in the side of the building shattered, spewing glass shards around the courtyard. I covered Liz and I with my hand, losing view of Rai for a moment, and when I looked back Rai was laying unconscious with half her body hanging out the window.

I turned back to Liz and tried to piece together the thoughts in my head.

"Who did this to you two?" I asked in utter dismay. I was angry, viciously angry. Here were two of the most important people to me, burned, battered, and beaten. Liz just stared up at me with her dark eyes.

"We did." She whispered as if that should have been obvious.

I stared down at her, completely frozen. Rai had done this to Liz. I looked back at Rai and then down to Liz. "She hurt you?" I asked. Liz didn't answer. Her head lolled to the side and her breath became quieter as she fell asleep in my arms. I lifted her softly.

"We have men collecting Rai." Clay said as he made his way through the burning rubble. I glared at him. "Don't bother." I growled, pushing past him. He surprised me when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"She may not be Liz but she's a member of this team. She needs our help so we give it, end of story." It was a rarity for Clay to ever talk back to me. I watched him turn around and join the agents heading for Rai.

"He's right you know." I looked back over my shoulder and found Abe. I ignored his comment and glanced around the courtyard again. The fires were almost out but I wanted to get Liz out of here as soon as possible. I didn't know how bad her injuries were.

"She's fine, Red. Rai is the one in trouble. She bit off more than she could chew with Liz. She's severally burned and beaten." I barked a humorless laugh.

"It's what she deserves. What was she thinking? What did Liz ever do to her?" I glared at the car that was being used to transport Rai back to base. Abe sighed and headed towards another car. I followed behind him and waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

"It's not what Liz did, Red. It's what you did. Rai was angry with you. You're the best friend that she has here and you've put her in second place to Liz since the moment Rai arrived." I rolled my eyes. It wasn't a good reason or a good excuse. When Rai woke up, she was going to pay.

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**Really tense there. It's not really Liz or Rai's fault yet. I'm not going to make Liz a bad guy so don't worry. This is actually my favorite chapter so far. ;) Alright reviews please! I know you guys can do it. **


	13. Chapter 13

**I know its been quite some time since my last update so I gave you guys a longer chapter. Thank you so much for all your reviews/favs/alerts. You guys are the best! Read and review some more! =J**

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I sat facing the fire, allowing the heat to warm my aching body. I was literally covered from head to toe in bandages. They went all the way up my neck and then down to the soles of my feet, bound so thick that I couldn't feel the soft fabric of my black tank top and sweat pants. I felt Abe's eyes on my back as I sat staring at the flames.

Those eyes had been watching me for an hour now; inspecting me while probing my mind. I hadn't said a word and he hadn't asked. Not until he was finished in my head.

"You're angry." He simply stated the obvious. "You solve nothing by keeping the emotions inside."

I closed my eyes, resisting the urge to sigh.

"There isn't anything more to say." I replied.

I heard Abe's footsteps as he came to stand beside me. "Oh yes there is. The problem is that your emotions are confusing you. They're eating away at you." Abe explained.

"Then what are they? Why don't you tell me, if you're so smart?" The aggression wasn't necessary but I was too exhausted to care.

"You're jealous for one."

I slammed my good wrist on the side table and wished that I had enough energy to blow out every light in the room; anything to get away from those all-too-knowing eyes. He gave me a moment to calm down. I dropped my head into my throbbing hand and sighed heavily.

"I'm tired Abe. Just leave me alone."

I wasn't sure what he did then, I didn't really care. I felt my pulse in my palm as I rested my forehead against it. Abe was right, I was jealous, hopelessly so. For the longest time I thought this was where I belonged. I felt at peace for the first time in years. I was cared for here and knowing that that 'thing' had the ability to take it all away not only scared me, it infuriated me.

And then there was Hellboy. Just thinking the name brought on a large amount of sorrow. I felt utterly lost. He wanted her, he liked her. The one and only friendship I thought I couldn't live without, was crumbling before my eyes. It was dust slipping through my fingers. It could have been recovered if he had found me standing in that courtyard before the fight. But now, I hurt his true love, he'd never forgive me. I couldn't even make the excuse that it was her fault. I provoked her, I lost the fight, I hated her. A couple of cold patches formed on my cheeks and I knew that they were tears, sliding down a face stricken with grief for the loss of something that it desperately needed; hope.

The fire wasn't enough to warm me on the inside. In fact it made the burnt flesh on my back and shoulder ach in remembrance. I continued to sit there in silence while Abe found occupation in a few books on the other side of the room. When the golden doors were shoved open, I sat still. It was the bitch that had gotten me into this mess. I felt her eyes on me and the fire in front of me dimmed.

"Is that a threat?" I asked with my face still in the palm of my hand. She didn't reply. I silently prayed that some of my energy would come back so that I could have something to fight with, but it was all gone. The last of it shot when I blew out those courtyard windows in an explosion of confused emotions.

"Enough Rai. No more fighting." I shrugged Abe's words off. Liz stood silently watching me and then, "Hellboy is looking for you." She stated timidly. I stood, frightening her by the sudden action.

"Oh is he now? Well that's too bad because I'm not looking for him." I held my right shoulder, where a sling for my left arm was tied securely, and brushed passed her. "I didn't mean to hurt you." She whispered so low that one had to strain to hear it. "It doesn't matter. I hurt you and you hurt me. Now shut the hell up and leave me alone." I growled without even bothering to turn around.

* * *

I didn't talk to anyone as I made my way to my room. Several people looked at me but my eyes were unfocused as I stared at the ground. I didn't even see the red hand until it was too late.

"You and I have a lot to talk about, Sparky." The gruff voice was too loud in my opinion and the stone holding me a foot off the ground smashed me against the wall. "I don't have anything to say to you." I tried to growl, to make my voice vicious and deadly, but my words came out as a strained whine.

"Too bad. You pissed me off and now you have to deal with the consequences." I reached my good hand up to grip the stone arm. He was hurting me and I couldn't stop him. Where was help when I needed it? The halls were empty and I doubted that anyone would be able to stop him even if they were here. Tears were threatening to spill as his piercing eyes waited for me to say something.

"I…" I choked on my own words. I didn't know how to explain any of this to him. Hell, I hadn't even explained it to myself yet. "You're worthless. All I have to do is squeeze and I can crush you." As if to prove his point he tightened his grip. My airway was smashed in by the pressure and black spots appeared in my vision. I tried to scream but no sound escaped my throat.

Not until I fell out of bed and realized it wasn't real.

A nightmare; that's all it was. I lifted a shaky hand up to cup my own throat. It had felt so real, so terrifying. If he caught up to me, would he really do that?

I shook my head and tried to dispel the dark aura that was always left behind after such a frightening dream.

"_I just need a shower to cool my nerves."_ I thought as whipped away some tears.

* * *

"She doesn't mean it Liz." I said once Rai had left the room. "What is her story? How did she end up here?" Liz asked as she watched the door, taking a seat in one of the arm chairs by the fire.

I sighed and returned the book in my hand back to its place on the shelf.

"She was the daughter of one of the most outstanding historians that the world has ever known."

"Was?" Liz asked. I nodded to her. "On his last expedition he found the prized jewel of his life's work. The stone winged wolves of untold history. The wolves were not supposed to exist but he found them nevertheless. After shipping them back to the states, to be exhibited in a museum sponsored by our very own Professor Broom, he made his way to Israel with a group of US soldiers that had been accompanying him since he touched down in an airport in the Middle East." I cleared my throat once before continuing on to the more difficult part of Rai's history.

"Half way there, the team was ambushed by raiders that believed the Wolves were still in Dr. Marshel's possession. There were many casualties. Rai's father was among them." Liz nodded. "That must have been horrible; getting news like that."

"She didn't receive the news. She was there the entire time. She made it to Israel with nine out of the twelve soldiers and they were all arrested because they were thought to be terrorists involved in a recent bombing. They were imprisoned there for two years before they received rescue from the US government. She became a part of that team of soldiers in those two years and they raised her as a soldier. When they were rescued she was 17, someone pulled some strings and they allowed her into the military without even a glance at her records."

Liz had moved her gaze to the fire in the fireplace and her jaw was hanging slightly open. "Wow." She whispered.

"Indeed. Liz, do you recall a Director Dyke?" I asked. She didn't turn around but went on to answer. "Yeah he was the Director of that low class museum, the one where most of the artifacts are fake or stolen." She smiled a little, obviously remembering something about the old museum.

"Yes. He somehow acquired the shipment of wolves. Rai suspected him of hiring the raiders and giving them the location of Marshel's expedition team and Professor Broom believes that this may be the case. Dyke tried to start an investigation against Rai in the military to throw off his own trail, resulting in Rai resigning to stay out of the spot light. After that the Professor hired her for this job. That is her story."

"As for how she got 'here'; the wolves awoke because of an unknown reason and Rai hunted them down. She killed the last one before you attacked her." It wasn't meant to be a guilt trip but I knew it ended up as one anyway. Liz sighed and stood up.

"So why did they wake up?" she asked

"Perhaps they knew they were needed?" A wise, soft voice said.

Liz and I turned to see the Professor enter through the golden doors, leaning on his cane. He must have suspected that we didn't understand his words so he continued. "The wolves started this and they needed to be the ones to end it. Although, that is most likely not the main reason. The main reason must have something to do with the young man who broke into the museum the same night the wolves' disappeared. Steven Dyke seemed to have forgotten to mention that."

"Liz, how are you?" He asked suddenly. Liz shrugged. "I'm fine Professor; the other girl is the one that took the worst of it." Professor Broom nodded. "Of course she did, more than you know. It won't keep her down though, not when she finds out about this." The professor said, holding up a piece of paper. "Is that?" I asked. He nodded.

"Signed paperwork that has the power to confiscating all of the history Dyke has stolen. We may also be able to go through all of his records to see if he really did have something to do with Dr. Marshel's death." The professor seemed almost smug and I could imagine he was just as spiteful of Dyke as Rai. After all, Dr. Marshel was a close friend of Professor Broom, though no one else knew it but me.

"We need to find Rai then, she won't want to miss this." Liz said. I watched her and sensed that she truly was sorry for hurting Rai and she wanted to make up for it. The professor shook his head. "We have teams watching Dyke and his museum. Let Rai rest for tonight. Tomorrow we will settle things."

* * *

Several hours of dreamless sleep followed the nightmare. I was just starting to wonder why no one had showed up to drag me off to do paperwork when the alarm went off. I crawled out of bed, got dressed painfully, and made my way to the garage.

I ignored Clay as I grabbed a gun and strapped it to my belt. "Rai I know you're strong but you can't handle this. You can't use your powers and you can barely stand. Not to mention the issues with Hellboy if he sees you." I tensed at the name.

"I'm not sitting around here forever so that 'she' can replace me. Besides, even without powers I'm still badass with a gun." I forced a grin and holstered a pistol. I made my way to a car, squeezing passed agents and sticking as close to the walls as possible.

I was almost home free when Professor Broom stepped in front of me. All of my hopes drained at the sight of his wise grin. "I hope you won't mind ride with me." He said softly. I stared at him in surprise as he led me to a different car. The car was a small limo with a driver and space in the back for four people.

One of the seats was already occupied. The Professor ushered me in as I glared at the dark haired girl. She just stared back and tried to smile. The minute the Professor joined us the car began to move. I opened my mouth to speak when the professor stopped me.

"This is very important Rai. You need to listen carefully." I gave Liz one more warning glare before turning to the professor. His face was very serious and his eyes had an intensity that I'd never seen before. He held an envelope of papers to me. I lifted the first piece out of the bundle and read it to myself. It took only a second for me to recognize it as a warrant. I instantly searched for a name and found 'Steven Dyke' printed near the bottom. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"This is…" I couldn't understand it. Dyke was after me. When did anyone stop to go after him? Who would do that for me and my father? I refocused on the professor's face.

"He was a good man, your father. He was also a good friend." He gave me a grave smile. I felt tears come to my eyes. I didn't let them go but they were still there. I blinked a few times to get rid of them and then smiled at the man.

"Thank you, Professor." He shook his head.

"Don't thank me yet. We have to find the proof and find out who brought the wolves to life." I gave him a puzzled look. "The reason we were able to file for this warrant was because he withheld information from us."

"What information?" I asked. Liz answered this time.

"A young man, about 5'9''" with dark hair, broke into the museum two days before the wolves came to life." I glared at her for coming into the conversation but what she said was important.

"Then all we have to do is arrest Dyke and track down this punk who brought the statues to life." I said. Professor Broom shook his head.

"This is where you need to be serious Rai. You need to keep calm and not attack Dyke. If it turns out that he did have something to do with your father's murder, you need to keep your head and think before you say or do anything."

I took a moment to process the Professors words. "You're telling me not to kill Dyke if I find out that that bastard killed my father." It was a statement not a question. The professor's normally soft eyes were frozen solid. I nodded as his eyes scrutinized my face. Liz shifted in her seat uncomfortably and I couldn't help but sympathize with her. The air in the car was tense.

The car screeched to a stop, saving all of us from the situation. We were met by two agents in front of the museum. They walked with us to the door. "Director Dyke arrived for work and spent the day as per usual. At 1:40 AM a visitor in a gray sweat shirt and black pants entered the facility and was seen arguing with the director. We called when we matched the description of the visitor to the description of the invader who was present at the time of the statues incident. They've been in there for an hour."

I smiled to myself as I thought of how professional the man sounded as he gave a full report. The professor nodded and waved a hand to me telling me I could go ahead. With a devilish grin fitted to my face, I cocked my gun and headed inside with the warrant papers gripped tightly in my bandaged left hand.

Just as the agent had reported, loud voices could be heard through the halls. I made my way towards them with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. This was going to be over. The biggest tragedy in my life might not be undone but the man responsible would have to look me in the eye and accept that his life belonged to me and whether or not it ended was entirely my decision.

"You stole from me and now the governments involved. If you had just done what you were told and given me the amulet we wouldn't be in this situation." The shouting was meant to be kept private but failed miserably.

"Listen man I didn't steal nothin' from you. I brought you the trinket. That little woodn' chip just flipped out. Next thing I know those chunks of rock woke up and ran off. I don' know, I took off 'cause I wasn't 'bout to get my ass chewed on by a bunch of stone puppies."

Dyke and his friend came into view as I made my way down the hall. I stepped quickly and quietly to the wall so that I could peer around the corner and watch the two men. A team of agents followed and another team went around, blocking off another hall so that no one could try and run. Dyke was pacing when I spotted him. Neither of the men appeared to be armed so I signaled the others to wait for me.

My first few steps out of the shadows went unnoticed. After a few more steps the unknown man spotted me out of the corner of his eye. "Hey! Who the hell are you?" Dyke's head whipped around. His face lost some of its color when I lifted my gun high enough to put a bullet through the man's brain.

"What do you think you're doing here Ms. Marshel?" Dyke's voice trembled as he raised his hands defensively. I smirked and held up the papers. "Bureau has a warrant for us to check your financials and pretty much all of your records Mr. Dyke. As for your friend we are going to have to take him into custody for questioning."

Dyke tried to laugh. "You can't be serious."

I gave him a smile and tilted my head to the side. "Oh, but I am." The man beside Dyke began to fidget. "You didn't say anything about cops, man. I'm outta here." The man made a run for the east hall only to be tackled to the ground by three agents.

"You're turn." I taunted. Dyke only narrowed his eyes at me but didn't say a word as the cuffs were secured on his wrists.

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**Director Dyke is in trouble now! ;] I hope you guy enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to be back soon! Review! 3**


	14. Chapter 14

**Do I have a treat for you. Thank you all sooo much for all of the reviews. I loved them and so here you go, a very long chapter for you guys to enjoy. I loved hearing about how some of my pov switching confuses people because I make it that way on purpose. I want you guys to think and see how much you really know about the characters. ;] Haha Ok I hope you guys enjoy this. Read+Review.**

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When the back of the truck opened up I found Liz waiting for us. "Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise, trying to hide my eagerness to have her back on the team. "I rode with the Professor." She said, giving me a small grin. I couldn't help but smile back.

"So did Father find what he was looking for?" I asked, wondering if the warrant was even necessary. Liz nodded.

"He's looking through things right now. I'm sure he already has enough. I wonder how Rai's going to take the news. She must have known all along." Hearing Liz say her name bugged me. I grumbled a little as I followed Liz into the museum.

"That's the reason she isn't here."

Liz stopped and turned back to me. "Red… about that…" I gave Liz my full attention as she gave me a sheepish grin.

"He didn't bring her, did he?" My anger was only barely contained. It was so typical of him to bust me for having her tag along and when I was just fine with leaving her behind, he had to bring her. Shouting voices interrupted my thoughts. Liz and I started walking at a faster pace.

When we rounded the corner and made our way into the largest exhibit of the museum Abe cut us off and asked us to wait a moment. I could see passed everyone in the room and spotted the red head being restrained by several other agents. She was furiously trying to escape her captors so that she could attack the cowering man across the room. Dyke looked like he was going to be sick. The fear was evident in his features and it wasn't difficult to understand the reason. Rai looked like a rabid dog.

"Rai, please calm yourself. You promised me you would control your actions if you discovered all of your theories to be true." It was my father that had spoken. He stood near the shouting mass of men holding Rai back. She shouldn't have any strength left in her. I wondered why they needed six men to hold her back.

Rai struggled for a few more minutes before she calmed down. Five of the agents let go but the sixth, Clay, continued to hold on to her shoulders as a precaution.

"I want that bastard to rot." Her words were sharp and bitter. The deadly tone actually scared me a little.

"He will be charged for his crimes and punished accordingly." The professor said calmly, obviously disagreeing with her choice of words.

Dyke continued to sit in the corner behind four agents. He tried to compose himself but each breath he took sounded like a squeak. I started to take a step forward, ignoring Abe's protest.

"So what's the situation?" I asked, my loud voice interrupting the tension in the room. Rai's eyes flashed towards me and then quickly away. My father turned towards me. "Steven Dyke has been found guilty of several crimes against the Bureau and Dr. Marshel. He has failed to explain where he found the wooden charm piece that brought the statues to life. We also do not know the current whereabouts of the charm."

Dyke interrupted. "I already told you, that punk took the wooden amulet when he ran from the statues. I don't know what he did with it." I gave Dyke a cold glare.

"No way man. That charm thing is your business. I left it here." I spotted the 'punk' for the first time. He was a scrawny little kid with obnoxiously spiky hair and piercings. He got one look at me and suddenly didn't feel like having an attitude.

"Listen alright; I broke into the museum a few months back to pull a prank with some friends. We got caught and this guy said he wouldn't bust us if I helped him." I stopped the kid for a second.

"Why you?" The kid gave me a nervous smile.

" 'cause man, I'm the top guy when it comes to stealing. I'd do anything for my gang. Your buddy needed something stolen and I'm the best man for the job. He promised not to rat us out so I made the deal."

"What did you do then?" Another voice asked. I glanced back to my right and spotted Liz, allowing me to dive into a string of happy memories from the old days. Then I spotted Rai glaring and all my happy thoughts were gone. I realized I was smirking and dropped the smirk to be replaced by a glare in her direction. The brat rolled her eyes and looked away.

"The guy gave me the job. I had to steal the little trinket from a private collector. He was some big shot who invented something only fancy people use, so he had a really nice place. I got in no problem and grabbed the wood chip. I got back here but the back door was locked. I figured why not sneak in through the sky light. So I did. Problem was, when I was climbing down the charm thing slipped out of my pocket and landed on the floor. I panicked 'cause I thought I might have broken it. When I got down to the floor I picked it up and it was fine. That's when I heard the growling noise and when I turned around those statues were alive and they tried to take a bite outta me. I ran like hell and made it to the back door before they could get a hold of me. Thing is, I didn't have the charm when I left the building. I panicked again and I thought about going back in there and getting it but the door was locked."

Dyke was glaring daggers at the kid. The kid on the other hand seemed to be feeling a lot better now that he had a chance to give his side of the story.

"Well then, Director Dyke, would you like to tell us where the charm went?" Dyke stared at me. He wasn't going to say anything without some motivation.

"Alright then. Clay, why don't you let Rai go? I'm sure she can persuade Dyke to answer the question." Clay gave me a questioning look and then took his hands off of Rai's shoulders. Rai took a step forwards, testing her new freedom. She looked at father, silently asking for permission. When she was sure that she had it she made her way towards Dyke.

"Wait, wait!" Dyke shouted in a panic. "I'll tell you just get that freak away from me!" Obviously Dyke didn't know that Rai didn't have any access to her powers. Rai stopped only a few steps away from the man and looked at me, waiting for me to make my next move. She was cooperating with me and that at least made me feel a little better. Then again, I was just as pissed at her as she was with me.

"You were saying?" I asked Dyke. He looked at me and then at Rai. "I found it…in the exhibit of the stone statues. The other wolves were gone and I knew the only ones to call about that was the BPRD. I never would have imagined that she would show up with you people." Dyke looked pathetic as he tried to glare at Rai. We had him pinned in a corner and his agent body guards had relocated to the other side of the room.

"Why did you want the wooden amulet?" Rai asked. "I…uh…I" His stuttering irritated the hell out of me. "She asked you a question." I said roughly. Rai glanced at me but there was no 'thank you' in store for me. Dyke sighed, mentally defeated by the interrogation.

"I have lots of money, demon. That is why I was able to afford the services of gangs to steal what I am not allowed to buy. They are meant to steal..."Dyke glanced warily at Rai.

"Not kill."

He wasn't sorry it happened. He barely even cared. Rai's muscles visibly tensed. Clay stepped forward to restrain her but he knew better, so in the end he retraced that one step and continued to watch her intently.

"What's your point?" I growled. Dyke shifted his gaze to me. "Do you think I'd continue owning this property if it didn't have some underlying purpose. It doesn't bring me much income. No, it is completely worthless. I would have sold it years ago, kept all the rare artifacts for my private collection, but I found a diamond in this rough. Beneath the museum is a series of tunnels, New York is full of them. They date back to revolutionary times when traitors to the mother country needed places to hide and passage from one hideout to the next."

"Why is a series of tunnels important, you might ask? It is because the series of tunnels beneath my museum are no longer connected to the large maze of New York tunnels. They have been sealed. I stumbled upon the entrance when I had construction done in the basement for a broken water pipe. A large piece of the floor fell in and I went down to investigate the damage. The tunnel walls are sold stone bricks. They have luminescent plants that seem to be from another world. The whole thing seemed magical to me. I sent the construction team home, hoping for some time alone to think about my discovery. I spent months investigating the tunnels. I mapped out the entire section beneath this museum."

Rai sighed impatiently. "What does this have to do with anything? Your story is pointless. What did you do with the amulet?" She had a point. I was as irritated as she was and the man wasn't making any progress in his little story.

"Patience little girl." Rai literally growled at Steven Dyke. He found enough courage to ignore her.

"After months of exploring I found a dead end in a tunnel, but it was different from the tunnels that had been collapsed to seal the section off from the world. This dead end was simply a brick wall with inscriptions in various languages. The entire thing was a message that had been broken into pieces, scrambled, and translated so that it would be more difficult to decode. I spent months deciphering what the languages were and then translating and unscrambling. I have spent a total of two years on this project. At first it was a hobby then it became an obsession."

"What did the inscription say?" Liz asked.

"It was a story… about an ancient power that was sealed up long ago. The American revolutionists found it and built their structures around it. Later they must have felt it was too dangerous to be trifled with and so they had the tunnels attached to it cut off. The inscription describes a fabulous prize that is beyond any living creature's wildest dreams. Whether it was a curse or not didn't seem to matter because it came with power. I found the wooden amulet that could animate stone and all I had to do was find someone to steal it for me. That is when this whole mess started and you showed up."

"Alright, you told us the why but you still haven't mentioned WHERE you put the amulet."

This man was pissing me off. No wonder Father hated him. Liz, Abe and Rai all seemed just as frustrated as I was. We weren't getting anywhere with this. Dyke's 'secret tunnel' business worried me and Abe didn't seem too happy about it either. Anything with that kind of inscription on it was not to be taken lightly. Investigations would have to be done down below the museum and it sounded like it was going o be a pain in the ass to do.

"It's down in the tunnel. You'll never find it, don't even bother. That power cannot be contained so you can't have it." Dyke looked smug and I just glared at him.

"Trust me, we don't want it." I turned around to look at the rest of my team. "Somebody get this trash out of here." I ordered. Five agents took care of it and the rest of us prepared to do some excavating below New York.

* * *

It was done with. I may not have been able to kill Dyke but he wasn't getting off scotch free. I couldn't thank the professor enough for what he'd done. Now, I had to think about the situation at hand.

Liz was sorry for what role she had played in the fight and it made me feel like a hypocrite. I was attacking her because of Hellboy while he was attacking me because of his feelings for her. She was just wedged in between our feud without having done anything wrong to begin with. I felt some guilt start to set in but waved it away so that I could focus as the team made preparations to go below the museum.

The worst that could happen now was for me to be paired up with Hellboy on this mission. The nightmare still seemed fresh in my mind. He seemed to be acting civil now but the minute he got me alone… I didn't want to think of the possibilities.

According to Dyke, we were going to have to wander the tunnels blind, but Abe had other plans. It only took a few minutes for him to find the hiding place of Dyke's map. One glance at the piece of paper would send someone's head spinning. It was so complicated that I couldn't tell where the tunnels started and where they ended. But again Abe outshined us all and deciphered the scrambled lines in only a few minutes.

"He has not marked the location of the stone gate. From what I can see, there are eight dead ends that could be the gate. We will have to split up and find the amulet." Abe instructed.

I nodded along with everyone else. The professor advised that we should split into teams of two because that was all we had on hand. _'As long as I'm not with Hellboy, I'll be fine._' I thought.

"Alright, I shall accompany Agent Smith." Abe said, referring to the agent that always handled Abe's books in the field. Abe appointed a few more pairs and then turned to Clay, Liz, Hellboy, and I.

"I suggest that Clay and Hellboy go together." Hellboy and Clay nodded at each other, obviously not bothered by the decision. I let out a heavy sigh that earned me the group's attention.

"Liz and Rai, you will be the last team." I realized I had reacted too soon. Was it any better to be with Liz than it was to be with Hellboy? I thought about it for a second and realized it was but only slightly. Hellboy gave me a dirty look and it seemed he was biting his tongue to keep from arguing the matter.

* * *

Rai and I separated from the others after entering the tunnels. The director had been right; it was another world down here. The flashlights weren't really needed because of the rare luminescent plants growing in the cracks between bricks. I turned off my radio only five minutes after separation because, although I loved Abe like a brother, I couldn't help but find his rambling about the plants extremely boring.

"So…" I started, looking at the red head walking beside me. "So, what?" She asked bluntly, not bothering to look at me. The lights in the tunnel did one thing; they made a person's expression seem very intimidating.

"You and Hellboy… something happened?" I felt stupid after asking. Of course something happened. You don't just beat the shit out of someone without some kind of viable reason. Rai didn't look at me and her expression didn't change.

"I don't know." She said matter-of-factly. I stopped in my tracks and stared at her in bewilderment.

"You don't _know?_ How do you not know? I mean, after everything you went through." Rai stopped walking and looked at me for the first time. Her expression was blank, completely composed, but her voice was another thing entirely.

"I've never had a best friend before." She whispered sounding sad and almost embarrassed. I stared at her, surprised. Before I could speak she shook her head and continued. "I mean, I had my father and several of the soldiers I grew up with were close….but a best friend? I haven't ever had one." I felt a strong urge to walk up to the girl and hug her.

"I'm sorry, really, I am." I took a few steps toward Rai so that I could stand by her side again. She surprised me again with a sudden laugh. "It's so stupid. He was such a jerk when I met him. When did I end up calling him my best friend? How did that asshole get so close to me?" Rai turned around and continued to walk. I walked beside her in silence. She had to talk it out and I owed it to her to stand by and listen.

"What happened?" I asked. Rai told me what happened. She explained everything that happened to her, from her first mission to the ice cream trip, and then to the nightmare she had the night before.

"I've known Hellboy for a long time. I know that he likes me more than anyone else and he's mad that I got hurt but he would never do something like that. He isn't really a monster, just a big baby." I gave Rai a reassuring smile and she smiled back. It was the first time I'd ever seen her truly smile. I'd also heard her laugh when we made jokes about some of the pranks she pulled on Hellboy. I had to admit that it felt good to laugh and smile after the past couple of stressful months.

We talked as we walked through the tunnels and completely forgot what we were supposed to be doing until we came to the end of our tunnel and found just a regular dead end.

Rai suddenly switched into agent mode and turned her radio back on. "Hey Abe this is Rai and Liz. Our tunnel is a dead end. No sign of the amulet along the way either." I looked around my feet and wondered if she had really been keeping track while we were walking. I had completely forgotten. My eyes did spot something as I shined my flashlight around the ground. Rai spotted the sound before I spotted the metal grate on the floor. Rushing water passed below our feet and the grate.

"Rai, this is Abe. We haven't reached out tunnel end yet but Clay and Hellboy reported that their tunnel is a dead end as well. They're closer to you so why don't you meet up with them and head back to the tunnel entrances."

"Abe, wait. There seems to be a system of underground waterways beneath the tunnels." Rai said into her radio.

"Waterways?" Abe asked. "Yeah Liz and I are standing right above a metal grate and we can see the water heading in the direction that we came from."

"I'll have to warn the other agents. If there is space beneath the tunnels for water then we may be at risk of a collapse in any one of these tunnels." Rai agreed with Abe's decision and ended conversation there.

"We should head back." I suggested. Rai nodded and stepped away from the metal grate. I led the way back, shinning my flash light around the floor looking to see if we might have missed the amulet. We were about ten feet from the grate when a large bang resonated through the tunnel. The ground shook and so did the tunnel walls. Rai and I froze in place and braced ourselves. One brick broke away from the ceiling and then another. Rai pulled me back before the large section of ceiling crashed down on the very spot I had been standing in.

"What was that?" Rai asked, panting slightly from the shock of the event. I shook my head and rested my hands on my knees in an attempt to calm myself after that near death experience. "You ok?" Rai asked. I looked up at her and nodded with a smile. My smile evaporated instantly when I spotted the grate. "But I don't think we will be for long."

* * *

I turned around to see what she was looking at. The cave in hadn't just closed up our tunnel, it had also broken through the floor and blocked up the water beneath it. Now the rushing water had nowhere to go but up.

"Shit!" A few more swear words came into mind but I didn't have time to dwell on them. Liz and I ran to the collapsed pile of bricks in our way. After several minutes of pushing and kicking both of us stepped back, panting, but there was no affect on the wall.

"Damn it!" Liz's outburst got my attention and I turned to see her kneeling in the now ankle deep water looking for something.

"What did you drop?" I asked, still out of breath.

"My radio ear piece." She replied, and continued to search. I shook my head and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. We can just use mine." Liz looked up at me but she wasn't reassured.

"And where is yours?" She asked, agitation creeping into her voice. I reached a hand up to my ear and realized I didn't have it.

"Damn it! Where did it go?" I dropped to my hands and knees, holding the flashlight with one hand and searching the water with the other.

"Your hand was on it when the ceiling started to collapse. You must have knocked it off or dropped it when you pulled me out of the way." Liz said.

I cursed again. Something in the pile of rocks shifted and for a moment I thought it might be rescue. We had no such luck. The rocks sealed up what little room there was for water to squeeze through them. The pressure forced more water through the grate.

"Shit, shit ,shit!" I pulled Liz back to her feet and we started to claw at the bricks again.

"Rai we can't keep doing this." Liz declared, taking a step back and looking at the cuts on her hands. I had to agree with her. It was hopeless.

I left my hands on the stones and rested my head against the wall of rubble.

"I. Was. Just. Starting. To like you." I said between breaths of air. Liz laughed half heartedly. "Yeah, me too." She replied. I released the wall and stepped back to stare at it. For a long time neither of us said anything. The water was knee deep when Liz finally broke the silence.

"Do you like him more than as just a friend?" She asked. I threw her a questioning look.

"What?"

Liz looked at me with a small smile.

"Hellboy, do you like him more than as just a friend?" Her question threw me off guard. What had Abe been telling me yesterday? I was jealous, but was it because Liz was replacing me as his friend or was it because he loved her and would never love me. I looked away from Liz for a moment and then forced myself to look at her again. I felt cold but not because of the temperature in the small space of the tunnel.

My body started to shake and moved without giving me a chance to stop it. I nodded twice and heard my own voice whisper a simple yes. I didn't know what part of my mind contained this bit of information because this was news to me.

Liz smiled at me. "He's very thick headed. I think it's hard for him to notice a good thing while he still has it." I laughed when she said it. "I guess that's true. He's always chasing after you even when you're here." We both shared a small laugh but it died away quickly.

Had I just admitted to loving Hellboy? Why would I do something like that? He teased me, picked on me, and embarrassed me. He made me cry and that was the biggest problem I had with him. The last time I experienced this much emotional trauma was after my father died. Where would I be right now if I hadn't answered that phone call in that shitty little apartment? I certainly wouldn't be in a dark whole in the ground waiting to drown, but then again who knows.

The water had filled up more of the space. Liz and I started to panic as it reached half way up our chest. There wasn't any rescue.

"You know, there's this really great ice cream shop I wish I could have gone to one more time." I said, trying to distract us from our approaching death. Liz looked at me and tried to smile but the distraction wasn't working. I was going to continue talking, for my benefit more than hers, but an important thought came to mind.

"Do you think your powers could knock down the bricks?" Liz looked at me and shook her head.

"It could end up bringing down the rest of the tunnel if it did work, but I don't think it will even put a dent in the wall." I shook my head. It wasn't like we had a lot of options.

"What do we have to lose?" I glanced at her nervously. Liz gave me the same nervous look before aiming her fist and trying to use her fire power to beat through the wall. It shook the tunnel but the wall held. I growled in irritation but it was pointless.

The water was at our necks and we were treading water to stay above the surface. My hands were on the ceiling, willing it to disappear so that we wouldn't be forced under.

"Hold on Liz." I wanted her to keep her spirits up but I should have known better. It didn't matter anymore.

Rescue would be too late. I'd never get to tell Clay how much I loved and respected him as a fatherly figure. I'd never be able to pay back the professor for all he'd done for me. I'd never get to see Dyke's trial or see him get locked away. I'd never be able to apologize to Abe for being so aggressive the other day when it wasn't even his fault. Worst of all, I'd never get a chance to tell Hellboy how I really felt.

I reached a hand out and held Liz's. "At least I we won't die alone." I didn't realize I had said it out loud until I saw Liz smile sadly at me. The water rose higher. We pressed our faces to the stone ceiling to capture the last bit of air we could. Only seconds passed before the water encompassed the last bit of air and we were swallowed up into its darkness.

* * *

I rubbed my back as I lifted myself off the ground. Clay tried to hold in his laughter but not for long. He busted up and roared with laughter. I glared at him and grumbled a few death threats before continuing to walk down the tunnel. There just had to be one raised stone in the walk way. I tripped over it and landed with a loud thud leaving Clay nothing to do but laugh like an idiot.

"Clay, come in. What was that crash?" Abe asked through Clay's radio. Clay tried to compose himself before answering but did a poor job. "Hellboy…tripped." Clay started to laugh again and I even heard a grin in Abe's voice as the blue boy replied.

"Oh…alright. I'll have to check in with the other groups to make sure there wasn't any problems caused by that shake in the tunnel." I growled and switched on my own radio.

"It wasn't that bad, Abe. Give me a break." Abe chuckled on the other end.

"I'd beg to differ, Red. A lot of the tunnels were shaken." Abe replied. I flicked the radio off and walked to the intersection where Liz and Rai split off. Clay caught up to me and started to walk down the tunnel leading to the museum entrance. I stood my ground and when he realized I wasn't going to follow him, he came back.

"What are we waiting for?" He asked. I nodded my head in the direction of the other tunnel. "Alright. Their tunnel stretched a little farther than ours so they should be a few minutes delayed." Clay explained. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned against a wall to wait. They 'should' only be a few minutes behind us. When ten minutes went by and the two didn't show I got curious.

"Abe, have you heard from the girls?" Clay asked, reading my mind. There was a second of silence and then Abe replied. "They radioed in only a minute after I talked to you last. They should be back by now."Again with the word 'should'. _I don't like this._

"Abe, try to reach their radios. Clay, come on." Clay nodded and followed me as I headed down the second tunnel. My pace grew faster as I walked farther and couldn't see any sign of them. At last I was jogging down the tunnel with Clay right behind me. We stopped short when we came to a dead end.

"Did we miss them?" Clay asked. I looked at the pile of bricks and rubble. Something was wrong but I could tell what it was.

"Abe, have you found either of them?" I asked, getting more frustrated every minute. 'Leave it to Rai to get into some dangerous situation.'

"Well for one, a team found the amulet and we found the gate." I growled "Liz and Rai, Abe. Where ARE they?" I demanded. "I can't reach them at all. I checked back with the museum crew to see if the two made it back there but no one has seen them. They're somewhere in the tunnels." Abe said.

I looked at the scene in front of me and placed my left hand on the stone wall. Everything seemed the same as the dead end that Clay and I had found. "Do you think they took a wrong turn somewhere?" Clay asked, seeming just as frustrated and worried as I felt. I shrugged my shoulder and lifted my hand from the wall. Clay started to head back and I gave the wall one last glance over before turning around as well.

We had only made it about five yards when we heard a soft pounding sound. Clay and I both looked at each other questioningly. We heard the sound again, coming from behind us. We slowly turned around to look at the dead end of the tunnel. That's when I spotted the detail that seemed off to me. The stone wall, unlike the wall that Clay and I had run into in our tunnel, was clean. There wasn't any moss or luminescent plants growing in the cracks because the cracks were new. The whole wall was new.

"Shit!" I turned on my heels and raced back. When I got to the wall I wasn't sure what to do to get it out of the way. I simply pulled my right arm back and aimed high. The contact sent a loud crack echoing off the walls. I pulled back and hit it again. This time a small hole gave way and a jet of water splashed my face.

"Water?" I stared at it curiously and then true panic set in. They were drowning.

"Clay, get a medic team down here now!" I ordered before turning back to the wall. I let several more hits fly before a large section of the wall fell inward. Water sprayed outward, relieving pressure with the sudden access to new space. I grabbed bricks around the new hole and pulled them out as fast as I could. Thankfully the water became less forceful as the hole grew.

"Liz! Rai!" I shouted but I received no reply. I ripped down half of the wall before I stopped to see if the tunnel would even remain stable. The ceiling of the rest of the tunnel wouldn't hold long but for the moment it was staying still. I reached for a flashlight on my belt and shined it into the hole I had made, praying I wasn't too late. From the amount of water that was released, I guessed that I almost was.

A sudden gasp caught my attention and my flashlight landed on a patch of blood red hair. "Sparky." A large wave of relief hit me. It was replaced by a feeling of uneasiness because I wasn't quite sure how things sat with Rai and I. The red head coughed large amounts of water up and then threw up all together. I wanted to crawl through the hole and comfort her in some way but I couldn't get through it or make it larger without collapsing the whole tunnel.

"HB." She called back. Her eyes lit up when she heard me call her by the old nickname.

"Where's Liz?" I asked quickly. Rai's face dropped and she looked around, panicked. She spotted Liz farther away and crawled quickly through the knee-high water in order to get to her. "Liz… Liz!" Rai's voice cracked.

I was surprised to see Rai care so much. Didn't she try to kill her only a few nights ago? Rai placed her hands over Liz's chest and looked like she was about to perform CPR. Before she could start Liz rolled over to the side and coughed up as much water as Rai had. The minute Liz was able to sit up the two girls embraced each other. "We're alive." Liz whispered. Rai tried to laugh with her sore throat.

They hugged and laughed at how scared they had both been, completely ignoring the fact that I had saved them.

'I'll never understand women. They hate each other one day and then the next day they're best friends.'

"Alright if you two are done, I'd like to get out of here before I catch a cold. Does that sound good to you two?"

Rai and Liz exchanged a look, laughed about something, and slowly made their way towards the hole entrance. I lifted each of them out and supported them until they could walk on their own.

Rai pushed away from me the minute I tried to help her. She stumbled with each step she took and Liz tried to convince her to let me carry her but she shook her head and continued to walk alone. I pretended to not know what was going on and stepped ahead of them while listening intently to hear whether or not they needed me for something.

"Rai!" I turned back quickly when I heard Liz scream. Rai had collapsed of sheer exhaustion. The combination of this near-death experience and the wounds she still hadn't allowed to heal must have wiped her out. Liz looked up at me with pleading eyes. I tried not to focus on Liz's eyes as I knelt beside Rai and scooped her into my arms.

Liz walked beside me as we continued through the tunnel.

"We thought we were going to die down there." Liz whispered. I looked down at her. "Thank you, Red. I don't know if she'll tell you or not but she's as grateful as I am." I nodded and glance down at Rai while Liz wasn't looking at me. Rai's wet hair stuck to her face and looked funny the way some of it stuck out in weird spikes. I still owed her a good smack down for what she did to Liz. I didn't care if they had worked it out because I hadn't.

I needed Liz to stick around this time and Rai made that difficult, but I wasn't so sure I wanted Sparky gone forever. As I watched her face I knew that I couldn't lose her too. She was too much fun.

"Hellboy!" I glanced up when I heard Clay's voice and spotted a team of agents below the entrance to the tunnel complex. We met the medical team once we were above ground and I let them take Rai so that they could help her. Liz was steered away by some more medics and I walked back to the garbage truck alone so that I could think.

I cared about both of them and didn't know how to feel about any of this. If Rai and Liz were friends now, I was in for a world of hurt. With a sigh I pulled myself into the truck and found a six-pack of beer to go through until someone needed me outside.

* * *

**That's right Hellboy. Drink your beer and be happy. ;] I hope you guys liked it. A lot happened and I hope I did a good job. Why not send some reviews my way to tell me. In the mean time I really need to get some writing done to make sure I stay ahead of the game and have something really good to post for you guys next time. Until then, later!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everybody. I'm so sorry its taken so long to updated. School and work is dragging me down right now and I didn't want to just throw out something that I couldn't be proud of. I have been working very hard to get all of my work done while also writing for this so I hope you can forgive me and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Can't you ever just stay out of trouble?" Clay asked as he wrapped gaze around my scratched knuckles. I gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"Guess not." I admitted. Clay laughed at me and started wrapping my second hand. Liz sat next to me on the counter of the BPRD medic bay.

"Has she done stuff like this before?" Liz asked. Clay and I shook our heads and started laughing.

"Oh no she's always careful." Clay said, rolling his eyes at me.

"Hey, I am careful. Circumstances just choose not to favor me."

Clay ruffled my hair as if I was a toddler. He put away the bandages and a few more medical tools that the doctors had left out before leaving us so that he could get back to work.

"You two seem really close." Liz said. I looked at her and smiled. "He's a mentor to me, almost like a second father. I don't know what I would do without him." Liz grinned and hopped off the counter. I followed her out the door and down the hallway.

"I hear the museum was destroyed and the whole tunnel situation is being covered and controlled." Liz suddenly said, trying to make conversation.

I nodded my head, pretending to pay attention to her. In reality, I was thinking about other things. The fact that I had nearly died twice in just one week was one of those things.

In my short career working for the BPRD, I had come close to death how many times? I thought about it and made the number out to be a solid 6 and a half.

Once on my first day, twice on the kraken mission, once where I was nearly eaten by wolves, two times with Liz present, and the half being a compilation of Hellboy wanting to kill me. Compared to how life was before this job I'd say that my chances of survival were getting smaller. Back then the only thing I had to worry about was getting hit by a bus or a taxi, now look at me.

"Rai? Um… Rai?" I looked up and found Liz staring at me. "Were you even listening to me?" She asked. I gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I guess not." Liz smiled at me as if to tell me it was ok.

"Liz!" We both looked up when we heard the voice. Hellboy had just turned the corner and was standing near the end of the hallway. Liz smiled and I looked away quickly, trying to hide my face from him.

"Rai what's wrong?" Liz whispered to me as she looked back at me. I shook my head.

"I just forgot something back at the library. I'll see you later." With that, I turned and practically ran back the way we came. I left Liz and Hellboy standing there confused. I wasn't comfortable being in the same facility as him and defiantly not when Liz was there as well.

I hadn't even been back long enough to visit the library so there wasn't anything I could have forgotten there. Nevertheless, I felt I needed somewhere to relax and it had been forever since I'd red a good book.

The room was as warm as it always was and I checked to make sure the Professor wasn't there. I suspected that he would still manage to pop up out of nowhere and scare the living shit out of me but I could deal with that when it happened. The couch looked like a promising place for a nap and the fire was going. Abe's tank appeared to be empty and the rest of the room looked vacant as well. I turned my attention to the books.

I browsed the bookshelves and found myself completely absorbed in the titles and subjects. I pulled out one book after another and became more and more curious with each leather cover and yellowed page. Finally I made up a large pile of books and stacked them near the couch. I sat on the floor with my back resting against the couch and sorted through the book while the fire warmed me up.

* * *

"What?" Hellboy barked when I punched him in the arm. I gave him a glare. "You are such a jerk sometimes." I punched him again and swallowed a large gulp of my coffee. "Why am I the jerk?" He asked as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "You don't have to be so horrible to her, Red. She just wants to fit in. We all do." He just grumbled into his beer and looked away.

"Red." I demanded. He looked back at me and tried to fain innocents.

"Oh come on." He shouted when I didn't respond to his 'innocent' look. "She nearly killed you. You're really going to defend her?" Hellboy asked. I nodded. "It was as much my fault as it was hers. I lost control and blew up again. I forgave her for what she did and she forgave me." I said. Hellboy rolled his eyes.

"Hey I'm serious. Do you know she thinks you want to kill her?" I asked giving him an angry glare. Red's eyes widened in surprised.

"What? No. She's just annoying. I wouldn't…" He didn't finish his sentence and instead downed the last of his beer. He sat down in a chair and stared at the ground as he thought. I watched him in silence.

"I didn't want her to replace you on the team." He muttered. It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"She wasn't going to HB. If I didn't want to be here then I wasn't here. Rai joining the team shouldn't have had anything to do with that." I explained. Hellboy glanced up at me and then down at the floor again.

"I guess . . . I just missed you and she reminded me too much of you." He whispered. I sighed heavily and sat in the chair next to him.

"It's ok for you to miss me Red. But Rai and you are friends now. Well… not right now but you were. You can't just blow her off because you want to replace her with me. She's a completely different person than I am and I think she can be here for you even when I can't."

I placed a hand on the side of Hellboy's face and made him look at me. His eyes searched my face. He wanted to argue about the last thing I said but in the end he didn't. I smiled at him and hugged him really quick before getting up and grabbing some more beer from the fridge. He took a can from me with a slight smile on his face and I opened my own.

* * *

"Blood Elves: Their Original Glory." This book was longer than the others in the first pile and was bound with a worn leather cover. Mythical wars and battles sprawled out along the pages.

"Trolls are known for their size and strength but not their brains. A large group of them is said to have founded a legendary, hidden troll market." I read from another book. A third book explained more of their weaknesses, their point of origin, and a list of foods they enjoyed eating.

"The Flurry of the Hell Hound." I red followed by several more books concerning demons and ghosts.

"Mount Everest: Legion of Snow Beasts."

"Sammael: the Son of Resurrection."

"The Aztecs: Their true demise."

Title after title, I flipped through the pages of each book. This was what I was going to work with. This was my job. I suddenly realized I had no idea what my job entitled. Now I was figuring it out and I wondered if all of these legends and scientific studies were real. I had a lot to learn if I wanted to keep up with what Hellboy and Abe knew about the mythical world. I was reaching for another book when a voice startled me.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I jumped and bumped into the large tower of books I had created. I tried to save the tower, but the books crashed down anyways and I was left wincing at the mess before me. I turned around slowly, lifting my head so that I could see above the back of the couch and faced whoever had seen my embarrassing scramble for the books. Abe's tank was no longer vacant as the fish man appeared in the water, staring at me through the glass. If he could have smiled I swear he would have been smirking at me.

"Apparently you are." He said. I smiled sheepishly and stood up so that I could collect the books.

"Sorry Abe. I didn't mean to take all your books. I was just . . . reading them." I explained lamely. Abe nodded. "Clearly. You seemed so encompassed in your reading. I'm sorry I disturbed you." He said politely. I shook my head with a smile. "Don't worry about it. You have a really great collection." I said as I walked towards the bookshelves with an arm full of books.

"Thank you. You have never red much about mythological creatures." Abe said, not asking, but stating the fact.

"Yeah. I had no idea how clueless I was. I mean, this is my job." Abe nodded as he watched me put my used books away.

"If you ever need to know something I'll do my best to find information on it. That is _my_ job after all." He explained. I smiled at the fish man.

"Thanks but I was just browsing and entertaining myself."

Once all of the books were away, Abe verbally picked out a few books of his own and I placed them near his tank. I then repositioned myself near my second tower of books. Several minutes later I decided I'd better be Abe's official page turner. After placing one of the comfortable chairs near the book stands, I picked some things to read through and settled in to relax.

* * *

"Wait so vampires aren't immortal?" I heard the voice as I got closer to the library. Abe's voice replied. "No they drink the blood so that they can stay immortal but they are not given immortality when they become vampires." The sound of rustling pages followed his explanation and then the voice asked another question. "Are werewolves immortal?"

Before Abe could answer the question, I pushed open the doors and stepped in to see Rai sitting near Abe's glass tank. She was leaning forward, hanging off the edge of her seat. Whatever the two had been talking about, Rai had been very interested. Her boots disappeared behind a mass of text books. Two books sat one on top of the other on her lap and a third sat suspended above the others, nestled in Rai's hands.

At the sound of me entering, the two glanced over to the door. Abe's face didn't change but the color in Rai's face seemed to drain as she sized me up.

"Hi." Rai said; her voice cracking. Abe interrupted her embarrassment. "Do you need something, Red?" I shook my head and then realized I did. "Yeah, I was looking for Father. Is he in?" I asked, trying not to look at Rai's tense form. Abe shook his head.

"Alright. What's going on here?" I asked nonchalantly. "Reading." Rai said bluntly, trying to make up for her weak reply earlier. I glanced at her and her head turned slowly to look at me. "That is what people generally do in libraries." She bit, sarcastically.

I glared at her as she stood up and gathered her books. She brushed passed me and started putting them away.

"You falling for it too, Blue?" I whispered to my fish friend behind the glass. He sighed, a few bubbles appearing and floating to the top of the tank.

"I'm not falling for anything, Red. She is an enjoyable person to discuss paranormal studies with and she is welcome here."

I growled. "What a load of crap." Rai finished her clean up and, after hearing my comment, chucked a heavy, leather-bound book at the back of my head.

I turned around ready to chew her out but found that she had already fled the room. I shot Abe a look and found him shaking his head at me disapprovingly.

Great now everyone thinks she's the victim. How many people are going to take her side in this damn building?

"You don't realize that you were the first, Red." Abe said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I growled at him and then decided waiting for father wasn't worth all of this crap. I marched out of the room leaving Abe with his books.

* * *

Liz wasn't staying. Everyone seemed to understand this except Hellboy. After a month, Liz once again decided that the world of paranormal activity wasn't where she belonged. I did my best to teach her self control with her powers, but she wasn't getting it. Liz and I had become close and although it hurt to hear her talk about leaving, I still encouraged her to follow her heart.

She loved photography. Stacks of pictures littered her room. They were obviously amateur photos but I found myself gazing at them in awe. They were amazing and I loved seeing the angles and the awkwardness. It was art and no one could deny it and live.

Liz and I enjoyed taking field trips outside the BPRD once I was physically able. We took turns picking where we went once a week, finding something fun to do in New York. It almost always involved ice cream and photos.

Outside the BPRD we had a lot of fun. Inside it was a different story. We were separate when we were inside. I referred to it as "Hellboy territory" where she was his friend not mine. I steered clear. Liz understood and did her best to keep Hellboy away from me.

I spent my time indoors doing one of three things.

The first was studying with Abe. His books and knowledge fascinated me. I learned everything I could and spent time with Abe reading, researching, or simply cleaning and reorganizing the library.

The second option was tagging along with Clay. We would train or work out together and it always ended with him on his back. He showed me new guns and taught me how to fire them. If we ran out of things to do, I followed him around for his errands and helped him file paper work.

The third activity was risky but much more fun. It involved pitting Manning and Hellboy against each other. It didn't take much. All I had to do was pull a prank on Manning and frame Hellboy. Once Hellboy was busted he tried to get revenge on Manning and I made sure to relocate the red giant's green paint bombs from manning's desk to HB's locker. The chaos was hilarious and kept me laughing for hours every time it happened because yes, it happened more than once.

"HELLBOY!" Manning's shouting disrupted the whole building. Agents and office workers scurried out of the way when they saw the balding man heading down the hall in a furry.

He entered the break room where I was sitting with my feet propped up on the table, pretending to read a newspaper.

"Where is he?" Manning growled at me. I lowered my paper to look at him. "Who?" I asked with false innocence. Manning's whole frame shook with anger and I could see why. His face was covered in marker and his remaining hair was dyed blue. I suppressed a giggle as I examined my handy work.

"Hellboy, I want him now!" Manning shouted.

"I'm guessing his room. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly his favorite person either." I said. Manning said nothing else to me, he simply stormed out of the room. Luckily, I heard about the confrontation between the boss and Hellboy later from Liz.

"I swear Hellboy is pushing it. One of these days Manning will find some way to punish him and then that big red idiot is going to regret it." Liz was completely serious but I couldn't help myself as I busted up in laughter.

"What?" Liz asked. I shook my head with a laugh. I left her for a second so that I could cross the street to a small convenient store. I brought back a Popsicle for me and a cup of black coffee for her.

"Thanks." She said and then asked me about what I had been laughing about before.

"Don't you wonder how Manning suddenly got good at pranking Hellboy back?" I asked. Liz shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, there's no way Manning could beat Hellboy. Why? Do you think someone else is planting Hellboy's pranks in his own locker?" I nodded and laughed. "Of Course. Manning is an idiot. That's why he's been pranked so many times before." Liz laughed and we started our walk.

A few minutes into the walk Liz turned and laughed at me. I gave her a curious look as I bit into my fifty-fifty bar.

"What's so funny?" I asked; my mouth full of ice cream. Liz kept laughing. "Seeing you eat ice cream like a five year old." She replied. I laughed at that and kept eating.

"Why do you love ice cream so much?" She asked. I swallowed another bite of my ice cream.

"When I was really little I couldn't eat sugar because my mom was a major health fanatic. After a lot of negotiating between her and my dad they decided that once a year, on my birthday, I was allowed to have one ice cream cone. I was only eight when she left us. It was a week after my powers showed up. She didn't like my dad's job and she had a problem with her daughter being a human battery. After that I didn't have anyone to tell me I couldn't eat sugar but my dad and I still had the tradition of eating ice cream on my birthday. Later on, when we had hard times or a failed expedition, we would go out for ice cream with the guys, instead of a bar or something. We did it sort of as a joke. We would get 'drunk' on ice cream as a way of spiting my mother and every evil thing in the world." I laughed and threw a smile at Liz. She smiled at me apologetically.

"I was eleven when my powers appeared." Liz said softly. Her smile faded and I watched fear flash through her eyes. "Liz." I whispered, hoping she didn't feel pressured into saying something she didn't want to.

"I was living in Kansas and my powers scared me. I blew up, sort of like I did when we fought, only much worse. My family, my friends, my home, all of it was gone. People called me a freak. They hated me and attacked me for what I had done. I don't blame though. I deserved it." Tears fell from Liz's eyes and she hugged herself as she tried to keep everything under control.

"No. Liz that's not fair." I said, stopping mid step and placing an arm around her. Liz stopped as well and shook her head at me. "No it isn't. I killed them." More tears fell. I forcefully grabbed both of her shoulders and called her name again so that she would look at me.

"Liz, trust me. I've been there. I know what it feels like to be called a freak. I know what guilt feels like after letting someone die." She whipped a tear from her cheek and searched my eyes.

"You have such control, Rai. Your powers can be helpful. What can I do? My powers are dangerous, even more so when I don't know how to use them." Her shoulders shook and I hugged her before holding her at arm's length again so that I could see her face.

"But you do know how to use them. Take it from someone who's been beaten down by them. You can use them as an offense for an even greater defense. Liz!" Her eyes had started to wander away from me and hearing her name made her snap back to attention.

"You are so much stronger than I am and you don't even realize it yet. If I had a power as scary as that I would have given up forever ago. You haven't. So hang in there. If you don't think you can get stronger at the Bureau that's ok. Just don't forget that we're here and we care about you."

Liz smiled through her tears and hugged me. We laughed together as we headed back to the BPRD, my arm still resting on her shoulder in comfort.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I hope I can gets some reviews and then I can get you the next chapter. **

**I have some surprises in store.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Didn't I just post something? The answer is yes I did. I still feel bad for being gone so long. Here's one more chapter to satisfy the readers. Keep up. ;)**

* * *

"The puppet ghost." Manning stated. An agent passed around copies of the suspects file and I grabbed one to look at it. Abe read it for everyone in the room. "The entity traps and controls its victims, testing their will to survive and forcing them to compete in a series of unknown obstacles."

"Sounds like Saw." Everyone glanced at Rai and she looked back blankly.

"What none of you have ever seen that movie?" She asked. No one responded so I guessed that was a no to her question.

"The entity can possess people's minds and bodies so we have taken to calling it the puppet ghost. Other than that we have no information. It has already killed fourteen people, four of which were only teenagers. Only partial remains have been found."

"We have no witnesses so I can't give you an accurate description of what you are up against." Manning said looking at the group seriously. I raised my hand and Manning nodded in my direction. "Liz?"

"Where exactly is this thing?" I asked.

"There is an abandoned circus right outside the limits of the city. That's where you will be heading." I shuddered. Abandoned circus… creepy. Lots of scary movies came to mind and I shuddered again.

"So how do we go about capturing it?" Rai asked. Manning stared at us for a second and then shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you serious!" She demanded.

Everyone turned when they heard a gun cock. Hellboy stood with his Samaritan in hand and a cigar in his mouth. "That's the fun part kid."

* * *

That was that and now here we were, in this big, creepy, abandoned circus tent.

Liz kicked over an old rusty trash can and I jumped with a yelp. "Sorry." Liz apologized. Hellboy's gruff laugh pierced the silence and I shined my flashlight over at his face to blind him in revenge. I grumbled a curse and went back to searching the center ring of the tent. Abe stood near Liz as they searched the stands of the arena and Hellboy browsed the opposite end of the tent, where there would have been a back stage if the curtain hadn't been torn away.

Agents could be heard outside as other areas of the circus were investigated.

"Do you think it's really a ghost, Abe?" I asked. He shook his head. "No. Ghosts are generally peaceful creatures." He explained.

Hellboy barked a laugh. "Peaceful? The last ghost we met tried to throw me through a wall." He said. Abe nodded.

"Yes, but you did insult her grandson." Abe replied in his matter-of-fact tone.

"This thing is suppose to trap it's victims through thought so if anyone starts picking up something make sure you report." Liz said into her radio, ending the boys' conversation.

"Well if this thing penetrates and holds onto thought I guess the only one that's safe here is Hellboy. After all, there's nothing to hold onto in that big fat head." I smirked at him when he shined his flashlight at me.

A squeaking metallic sound on the opposite side of the circus tent made me jump and scream. Hellboy laughed at me again.

"Is the little kitten afraid?" Hellboy asked before laughing harder and continued to investigate the room. I growled at him and tried to not jump when I heard another squeak.

"Is someone there?" I shouted into the abandoned space, shinning the flashlight around the room.

"Obviously there isn't anyone here." Hellboy grumbled. I glared at him.

"I heard something, alright? Stop acting like you know everything."

"Then stop acting like you know everything." He barked back.

"I'm not. I'm just saying that there might be someone here."

"Oh dear, mommy and daddy are fighting again." Clay's voice on the radio made everyone in the room jump. Hellboy and I opened our mouths to snap at him through our radios but a chill ran through the room and all of us froze in our tracks.

I shuddered under the cold and then noticed our flashlights start to flutter.

"What the hell?" Hellboy snapped before the lights died all together.

I quickly forced my voltage to illuminate the room. I screamed the minute I could see again. The room was no longer in my view. All I could see was mirrors. The entire room was full of mirrors. I saw myself, the reflective silver glass, and nothing else.

The illusion set fear in motion. I felt alone and screamed again as stared at my frightened reflection. After my throat was raw from the second scream, I stepped towards the glass and placed my hands against it. I shoved but it didn't move. I went in a circle trying to find an escape and found that one of the walls wasn't really there. I found an opening and turned a corner to find more mirrors.

A maze of mirrors. That's what this was. I hated mazes. They always made me feel lost and abandoned. I forced my way further into the maze and prayed I'd find someone, anyone. A second later I regretted the wish. I heard the metallic squeak again and whipped around. I found a mirror where there hadn't been one before. I couldn't retrace my steps because the path was cut off.

The never ending reflections started to make me feel claustrophobic. I hadn't had a panic attack since I was a little girl and had accidently locked myself in my father's suitcase in an attempt to win at hide and seek. Now seemed like a plausible, yet inconvenient time to have another one.

I ran for what felt like hours. In reality it may have only been twenty minutes. After some time, I became more frantic and hit one of the mirrors as hard as I could. It fractured and I almost felt relieved. A second later I had to watch in horror as the fracture sealed it's self and smoothed out.

"No way." I whispered. I shook my head and moved as fast as I could through the maze.

* * *

The circus scared me enough before but now I was terrified. The faces staring back at me were just my own but the feeling of being stared at started to become overwhelming. I heard Rai scream again, this time louder. I started feeling feverish and jittery.

"Please no. Not here." I whispered to myself. I held my head and tried to keep my temperature from rising. I needed to find someone. A familiar face would calm me down. The faces I was seeing now looked frightened, horrified. I needed help.

I moved as slowly as possible to keep myself under control. I placed a hand on one of the mirrors to steady myself and watched as the glass melted. I smiled thinking that maybe this could help me but to my dismay the glass began to grow back. I frowned at my reflection and continued through the maze.

"Rai! Hellboy! Abe! Is anyone there?" I called out in panic. I took a few more steps and then fell to my knees.

"Please don't freak out. Please don't freak out." I chanted it like a mantra and tried to remember all of the things Rai had told me about keeping control. I was terrified more of myself than this ghost.

"Calm down Liz. Just calm down." I sat on the ground and prayed one of the others would solve this.

I needed to get out of this field of work. It wasn't for me. For Hellboy and Abe it was their lives and they were good at it. For Rai it was an adventure and a place to belong. For others it was a pay check. But for me? I didn't feel like I belonged. I felt like I should be one of the creatures locked up. I was dangerous, if not to anyone else than to myself.

I shuddered and tried to stay in control while the mirrors stared down at me.

* * *

Rai's screams concerned me. I tried to switch on my radio to contact the others and possibly Rai, but all I received was static. After a minute of thought I decided to inspect the mirrors. I was in a maze of these glass mirrors and realized that they were impossible to get a reading out of. They were cold but not completely empty, I felt a pulse in the cold surface but then it would disappear for exactly 50 seconds and reappear for 500.

I contemplated these facts but then shook my head. I needed to find the others. I kept my hands on the glass and looked for the continuation of the maze. This Puppet Ghost was clever. The mirrors shifted every time that the pulse was gone. What exactly did he plan to do with us? And how was he doing this?

I took precaution with each step through the maze and then spotted something around one of the mirrors. It wasn't a reflection. It was real. Something was sitting on the ground, huddled in a ball. It was shaking and as I stepped closer I heard a voice.

"Calm down Liz. Just calm down."

"Liz." Her head shot up when I called her name and she jumped to her feet quickly. "Abe!" She cried. She ran towards me but at the last second a mirror slid in between us.

"Abe! Abe, can you hear me?" She shouted, sounding as though she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm here Liz. Calm down. Are you hurt?" I asked with worry.

"Abe I'm losing control. I don't know what to do. Please." Her voice shook. "It's ok Liz. Just breathe. I'm right here. Stay calm." I did my best to talk her down but I wasn't sure how long she would last in here. We needed to get out.

* * *

Sparky's scream was bone chilling. I tried to keep myself from feeling worried but when she screamed again I stopped trying and simply let myself care. After about a half hour of investigating and navigating the glass maze I decided this shit wasn't worth my time.

I lifted my right fist to punch the glass but the minute I smashed the thing, it regenerated. Damn. I shattered it a few more times before I gave up.

"So what is this, huh? You want something from us? Tell me what you want." I shouted into my reflection. I heard footsteps to my left and turned just in time to catch a glimpse of red as something hurled itself towards me.

Arms locked around my waist and I found Rai holding onto me as though her life depended on it. Isolation had driven her to the point of tears and she buried her leaking face into my shirt. I stood in shock and stared down at her with wide eyes. My left hand settled down on her back without me thinking about it and I held her as I looked around at the mirrors.

A loud growl came from behind one of the mirrors. I pulled out my Samaritan and pulled Rai to my side, putting myself between her and the mirror. The sound became louder and suddenly the maze shifted again. This particular mirror slid out of the way and revealed a living corps standing behind the glass.

"Ah Crap." Was all I was able to say before it launched itself at me. I shoved Rai to the ground and fired at the reanimated body, blowing it head clean off. Unfortunately, it had friends. Rai pulled herself to her feet and reached for her gun.

"Forget it!" I shouted. "Run!"

She hesitated for a minute and then took off down another hall of mirrors. I wasn't worried about having zombies bite me but if they sunk their teeth into Sparky there was nothing that I could do to save her. I blew off another zombie's head before following Rai down the hall.

The living dead weren't done with us yet. They charged after us in frenzy, crawling over one another in hopes of getting fresh food.

Rai suddenly stopped and turned back to me. I was about to order her to keep moving when I realized what the problem was. The mirrors moved again this time blocking my path to her.

"Shit!" I growled and then decided to screw it. I increased my speed and threw myself through the mirror. It shattered but I was able to make it through before it started to regenerate.

"Hellboy!" I rolled over on the broken pieces of glass and winced. "Damn." I grumbled. Rai offered me a hand and helped me to my feet.

"You ok?" She asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, you?" I asked. She nodded and then stared at the mirror behind which a group of hungry zombies waited.

"Do you think the others are ok?" Rai asked.

"They're smart. They can handle themselves. We have to get out of here and find out where these bastards came from."

"They came from a cemetery." A voice interrupted. Rai screamed, grabbed onto my stone arm, and spun me around so that she could hide behind me.

An ugly little goblin stood by what seemed to be one of the colorful fabric walls of the circus tent. He looked ancient with a white beard that reached down to his stomach and a metal contraption replacing his missing left leg. Rai stared at him in disgust before staring at the wall in shock.

"Where did the mirrors go?" She whispered.

"You removed them." I said, guessing that the goblin had something to do with it. The goblin hobbled forward, squeaking with each step, and leaned on a colorful wooden cane.

"I did not remove the mirrors. I removed you." He said. Rai released my arm and turned around.

"Hellboy." She whispered in a terrified voice. I turned around and found the scenery had changed back to its original form of the circus arena. There was no sign of the mirrors and even the broken mirror shards were gone.

"It was an illusion." I said, again guessing as I turned back to the goblin. He shook his head and wheezed a laugh.

"An illusion? No. Paralleled paradox is what it's called. I named it the "Puppet Ghost's workshop". My nifty little contraption and is it popular. Or at least it use to be popular. A few years playing with dark arts magic and suddenly you make twenty bodies come to life. Who would have thought that a circus would be built on an old cemetery? No wonder those dead are so angry. They just had to eat all those people and I'm to blame. What a load of troll pies? I'm the one keeping those things locked up. True there is a glitch every once in a while but those zombies always end up getting trapped in the maze again. It's not what I originally built it for but it's the best I have to keep those beasts from eating all my tourists. People show up here looking for fear. How can I scare them into their graves if they are already dead? I just don't know. " The goblin was rambling and Rai watched him with a look of confusion on her face.

As he continued babbling about the zombies I noticed another thing that was missing from the room.

"Where are Abe and Liz?" I asked. The goblin stopped talking and gave me a questioning look. "Our friends were here with us when we got trapped in the maze. Where did they go?" Rai asked. The goblin shrugged. "I reckon they're still in there. It's a shame really but I suppose there's nothing we can do for it." He replied.

"No! You're going to get them out of there!" Rai shouted before I could say the same exact thing.

"Are you mad? I can't do that. Releasing the maze from the inside could tear the whole thing apart and then we'd be left with more than two dozen zombies on our hands!" There was no need for him to shout at us. We were the ones who had every right to be pissed.

"It doesn't matter. Get them out now!" I shouted, brandishing my Samaritan to get my point across to the ugly little monster in front of me. He flinched at the sight of the gun and then waved his cane at me.

"Don't you threaten me sunny. All you had to do was ask politely." He barked. Rai sighed in frustration and massaged her temples.

"Will you PLEASE release our friends?" She asked, trying to sound polite. The goblin placed a hand on his beard and began to think. "You still want me to do it even if it means releasing all of those monsters?" He asked, looking thoughtfully at Rai. She nodded her head quickly at the old coot.

* * *

"Abe you need to run!" Liz shouted as her control started to slip. "Liz you can beat this." I said encouragingly. I felt the heat through the mirror in front of me. Maybe she couldn't, but where was I suppose to go. I wouldn't be able to track the others or find my way out.

"Abe!" Liz started to cry and I knew it was because she was worried about hurting me or one of the others. She was scared. If Rai or Hellboy had been here maybe they would have been able to comfort her better. I was out of my league.

"Liz, hold on just a little longer." I silently pleaded. I doubt that she even heard me. The heat grew worse and I thought that there might be some advantage to running. Liz's element could seriously wound me and not only would she feel awful for doing it but I might die. I took a few steps back to escape the heat. I didn't want to abandon her; she was my friend. The mirrors started to melt and the temperature became too hot for the glass to regenerate fast enough.

"Liz?" I asked aloud hoping she was still alright. "You should be running." Her voice said softly from behind the molten glass. I decided she was right this time and turned to run.

The heat followed close behind but at a lesser temperature. I rounded the next corner and stopped dead in my tracks, which is a poor choice of words considering what I found.

There must have been twenty beings before me. All of them turned to look at me dumbly. Twenty bodies, about thirty six eyes (the closest two missing their heads), and all looked hungry. For once I chose not to think and simply turned back the way I came and, as the others would say, 'ran like hell'.

I wasn't a fan of zombies. The living dead were interesting but not when you meet them 'in the flesh'. They were frightening and I did not enjoy being pushed back towards the heat.

I knew from the stench and the screeching sounds that they were scrambling after me. Depending on how long they had been here, they would tear each other apart to get to a fresh body. I listened to their howls and grunts to predict how far behind me they were but refused to turn around and witness the terrible sight.

I found myself sweating as I got closer to where Liz was. I felt guilt settle in my stomach as I realized I was leading them straight to her but, seeing as there was only one direction I could go, I continued forward with no desire to go back. After a few more seconds of running I started to see melting glass. Liz was visible as I got closer and so was a large mass of flames.

I thought about what I was more afraid of: zombies or fire.

It was defiantly zombies.

"Liz!" I shouted through the dry air. She was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest and looked up when she heard her name.

"Abe? No! What are you doing?" She screamed to me.

I didn't stop as I sprinted towards the hot glass that was still dripping from its frame. Liz screamed my name once more as I dived through the frame of the mirror and rolled across the floor. I felt the skin on my back and arms burn but tried to ignore the pain. I pulled myself to my feet and kept running in order get away from Liz's flames.

She saw the mass of hungry zombies without having me announce their presence. "Abe keep running!" She shouted and I didn't question her. I knew what she had planned and decided it best to just try to get as far away as possible.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed both chapters today. I don't ever do this so consider it a gift, a very rare one. I just hope you will all forgive me. I hate not posting and leaving all you hanging. Sends some reviews! Love you all! **


	17. Chapter 17

**So I hope you haven't all missed me too much. I had some issues with my computer and it took me for ever to get it fixed. But now it is and I hope you all enjoy this short and sweet chapter. Please don't hate me for what I'm about to do...**

* * *

"Alright fine I've decided." The goblin announced.

"Well?" I snapped impatiently. He stopped stroking his beard and shook his cane at me and Hellboy.

"The answer is no." He said, smiling wickedly.

"WHAT?" Hellboy and I snapped. Hellboy took a step towards the goblin and raised his gun.

Before he could fire and before I could move to stop him, the sharp, piercing sound of shattering glass resonated through the entire tent. We all looked up at the ceiling, confused and cautious. "That's impossible." The old goblin whispered in astonishment. Once the words had left his mouth, the ceiling started to rain glass. Hellboy grabbed me and shielded my body with his own. As the glass continued to rain down we caught sight of a body crashing down in the wooden stands. A second later another landed closer to the center of the room.

Hellboy and I recognized the smaller form in the center of the ring as Liz and before I could move Hellboy was already sprinting towards her. I decided to check the other body in the stands. After climbing through the splintered wood I found Abe looking like fried sushi.

"Abe?" I shouted, praying he was still alive. He gasped and reached for my shoulder. I spotted serious burns on his arm. I helped him sit up with some difficulty and found similar burns on his back. "Not good." I whispered. I was helping him to his feet and down to the ground when I spotted the old goblin still staring at the ceiling.

"What are you looking at?" I shouted to him angrily. He turned his gaze towards me and then back up at the ceiling. "She…she shattered all of the glass." He stuttered as he stared in awe. "So?" I asked, finally getting to the bottom of the stands with Abe.

The goblin opened his mouth to say something and then shut it. His eyes widened as he lifted a finger to point at the ceiling where small pieces of glass were still raining down. I glanced up and caught sight of what he was staring at. Several more bodies crashed to the floor close to where Liz had landed. Most were barbecued to a crisp but some seemed to have survived the roast.

"Hellboy!"

He looked up when I called him. I lowered Abe to the ground and pulled my gun from my belt as one of the bodies crawled to its feet. I steadied myself to fire but Hellboy beat me to it, blowing three holes through the body before I could even aim. He took down two more as they were trying to stand and then turned his attention to Liz so that he could carry her out of the center of the fight. He carried her over to Abe while I slowly made my way towards the pile of burned bodies.

There seemed to be only five more creatures left able to move and it was much more difficult to take them out when I didn't have a gun as large as Hellboy's Samaritan. After firing an entire round into one of them before it collapsed, I decided that today wasn't a day to be patient.

"Damn it!" I screamed, running towards the nearest zombie. One shot to the head had him reeling backwards for a minute. That was all the time I needed to get a hand around the things neck and shock it with enough energy to light all of Manhattan. It withered beneath my grasp and then dropped after I released it.

"Rai!" I looked up and found Hellboy staring at me with wide eyes. "Don't even think about doing something risky like that again!" He ordered after he set Liz's unconscious body next to Abe's.

I nodded at him and nearly had a heart attack when he fired his gun at me. The bullet flew past my face and connected with a thick block of zombie flesh only a few inches behind me. I turned and watched the monster crumble. Hellboy shot down another right before my eyes and then lowered his gun.

That was only four bodies but maybe I had counted wrong before. I glanced around the room and didn't spot anything moving. I did, however, spot the goblin cowering behind the opposite set of stands. With a sigh of relief I turned back to Hellboy with a smile. He had his back to me and was looking down at Abe and Liz.

I sighed again and tried to calm my heart rate which had somehow increased rapidly leaving me panting like a dog. I rested my hands on my knees and whipped my forehead with my arm. I was about to look back at Hellboy when I caught sight of movement on the ground about halfway between the others and me.

I hadn't counted wrong. The fifth body had been slowly crawling along the floor to the others. "You smart little bastard." I whispered as I watched it. I reloaded my gun as I watched the reanimated body rise to its hands and knees and finally, to its feet.

"Hellboy!"

I wanted to alert him of the danger before firing five shots into the zombie. The first two hit it in the back, the third hit its neck as it fell, and the fourth became lodged in the top of the head. The whole scene just froze as I watched the being fall to the ground. That fifth bullet had no resistance; it had nothing to stop it as it sailed past the corps.

I screamed another warning but it was already too late. All that was left for me to do was pray.

* * *

His back tensed and the large brown overcoat started to soak with red. Ignoring the fact that the zombie might still be alive, I made a sprint for the bigger agent. He was in the slow process of turning around when I reached him. He saw me and made to step towards me, stumbling, before he went down on one knee.

"Hellboy!" My voice cracking as I caught him. He slumped forward and I struggled to support his weight. Tears formed and slid down my face.

I felt the liquid on my hands. Had blood always felt this thick? Had the color always been so bright? I couldn't move as I stared down at the hole I had put in his chest. My joints locked, my mind shut down. All I could think of in this instant was 'no'.

"You don't seem to be very good at protecting your friends." I lifted my head hesitantly and stared into the orange eyes of the old goblin. I couldn't give a vicious reply.

"Help me." I whispered softly as my body started to shake with fear. The goblin cocked his head to the side.

"What was that?" He asked, honestly wondering what I had said.

"HELP ME!" I cried. Sobs racked my body and I pressed Hellboy's body to me, burying my face in his blood soaked shirt.

I felt a hand touch my cheek and l lifted my chin to find Hellboy staring at me with dilated yellow eyes. He was barely conscious at the moment.

"Don't die, please. Please Hellboy, don't die." I begged. He left his red hand on my face and tried to smile. The light in his eyes was fading but he was fighting unconsciousness. "Somebody please help me!" I screamed, hoping another agent might hear me outside.

"They moved to the other side of the circus when they noticed none of you were in here earlier." The goblin said, still oblivious to the fact that my best friend was dying in my arms. I turned to look at him. Whatever look I gave him apparently scared him senseless because he offered to go get the other agents and then scampered out of the tent.

I felt the hand slid from my cheek as Hellboy started to lose strength.

"Hellboy!"

"Stop crying. You're embarrassing me." Hellboy whispered. The wound was so close to his heart. How long would he last?

"It's my fault. I shot you. I can't believe I even fired the gun when you were there. What was I thinking?" I shuddered and continued to cry. I couldn't lose him. "I need you. Please don't die." I cried. Hellboy's chest vibrated as if he were trying to laugh.

"Calm down." He said softly. He lifted his hand one more time to wipe a tear from my cheek. "I don't hate you kid." He whispered.

"Wh-what?" I asked completely confused.

"I said: I don't hate you." He repeated. I shook my head furiously.

"Shut up." I muttered.

"Sparky…"

"No… you should hate me. Everything could be so much easier if you would just hate me." He looked at me sadly and shook his head.

"Why didn't you just let the kraken finish me off? Why didn't you let the wolves eat me or leave me in that damn tunnel to drown?" Hellboy flinched but said nothing. My temper flared as I stared down at the bullet wound.

"What about that first mission? Why didn't you let that tiger tear me to pieces? At least then none of this would have ever happened." My voice rose as the painful guilt became worse.

When Hellboy didn't answer I forced myself to look at his face. He was still alive but he'd lost consciousness.

"Hellboy? Hellboy! Wake up! Please, wake up!" I tried to shake him awake but it didn't work.

"Somebody help!" I screamed, praying someone would hear me.

"Rai?" I whipped my head around when I heard Clay's voice.

"Where are you?" He shouted.

"In here!" I was already crying but even more tears formed when, to my relief, Clay found his way into the tent and brought a help with him.

When Clay made it to my side he knelt by me and I saw his eyes widen in fear as he spotted all of the blood. "Are you hurt?" He asked quickly, placing a hand on my shoulder in comfort. I shook my head, pressing Hellboy's unconscious form closer to me.

Clay and several others removed Hellboy from my grasp with some effort.

Clay held me back as medics looked at Hellboy, Liz, and Abe. I watched as the whole scene became a blur of black and white suits. Clay held onto me as I cried and when Hellboy was carried away the older agent let me bury my blood soaked face into his chest.

It wasn't just Hellboy who was in danger. Abe's burns were serious and he had landed painfully on the wooden stands. Liz's condition was unknown at the moment but the worst she may have suffered could be a broken arm from the fall.

All three of them were carried away within minutes of the arrival of the rest of the agents.

I don't remember getting into a car or driving back. I remembered seeing the goblin in handcuffs, waving his colorful wooden cane at me in a friendly manner. I remember Clay's voice but what he was saying was unclear. The night was empty in my mind, almost completely nonexistent.

It wasn't until I was walking through the silver halls of the bureau that the truth hit me full force.

The floor seemed to echo as my knees hit its smooth surface. I didn't try to stop the fall with my hands, mostly because I couldn't think fast enough to move them. My face hit the ground and I heard the agents around me scramble to try and figure out what happened to me. I let my eyes slide shut and wished that this would all be gone when I woke up.

* * *

**Yeah I know... that was uncalled for. Same point of view all the way through it and really short but hey I have more updates for you guys coming soon. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Yay I'm back and updating so soon. =) I couldn't leave you hanging for too long after the last one. Well I could have but that would be kind of messed up. So anyways, this chapter has some different point of views so I'm going to do something that I never do and that is that I'm going to tell you from who's point of view all of this is. First off is Clay which is something you could have figured out on your own but the next one is someone we've never met and never will meet again. I simply showed the scene from a random doctors point of view. After that you can figure out who it goes to. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Abe's condition has been stabilized." Manning announced as he entered the room. I glanced at his nervous face and then across the room to where the Professor sat at his desk.

"Do you think Hellboy will pull through?" Manning almost whispered as he stood beside me.

The professor hadn't spoken since he had been handed the report on the mission. He had sat quietly as he read the paper work and then stared down at his desk without saying a word, only moving his gaze to glance at the fire ever few minutes.

He sat frozen as Manning watched him, one hand nervously running over his bald head while the other drummed on the wooden side table near the couch. I glared at Manning and he quickly removed his hand from the wooden side table, straightened his tie, and stood a little taller.

"How is Liz's condition?" The professor suddenly asked. Manning looked at me and then gulped.

"Fine, fine. She hasn't woken up yet but the only physical injury she suffered was a fractured left arm." Manning stuttered. The professor nodded and mumbled something along the lines of _"the physical injuries aren't what I'm worried about."_

"Clay?" The professor said softly, looking up from his desk. "Yes sir." I replied, standing to attention.

"I would like to see Rai in here as soon as possible." He said; his voice weighed down with authority.

Manning and I exchanged a look. "I think we might have a problem with that sir." The professor looked at me questioningly.

"Hasn't she woken up yet?" I nodded. "Yes she has but…" I tried to think of how to explain it without sounding to blunt.

"Rai refuses to speak with anyone until Hellboy and the others are awake." Manning interrupted.

The professor sighed and nodded his head. "Very well, I'll have to go to her then." The professor produced a shadow of a smile and then stood from his chair. Using his cane he walked slowly to the door and left. Manning let out a gasp of air and fixed his tie again before racing out the door behind the professor.

"Hellboy you better pull through this." I whispered to myself, praying this day wouldn't end with all of us dressed for a funeral.

* * *

It was like waking from a nightmare and discovering a much more terrible reality.

She was stuck in a dark hole of guilt. Ever since she opened her eyes this was where she wanted to be. She would lift a hand to touch him and then returned it to her lap before making contact. She never looked up, never averted her eyes away from his face, even when people entered and left the room. No sound escaped her. There were no questions about the others'.

I couldn't feel envious of these agents. I wouldn't dare dream of being one of them; none of us did. In fact most of us, although not many would admit it, prayed for these brave people. We were kept out of the loop most of the time. We had no clue what these agents went up against every day. All that we really knew was what came to us in the medic bays.

Agent Clay sat outside with a grim expression. He had entered the room a few times hoping to coax Agent Lightning into getting rest, to no avail. Agent Sherman, I heard, had woken up but was not permitted to excuse herself from medical care. Agent Sapien remained unconscious while his burnt skin had returned to a blue that was close to the shade of his healthy skin. As for agent Hellboy: unconscious, unresponsive, unknown.

I wasn't a doctor in the psychological field but I worried for this young ladies mental health, as would anyone. Her eyes looked healthy but blank, almost empty. I wondered if she had been blinking and not letting her eyes dry out. I stared directly into her bright, green eyes but she paid no mind to me.

With an exhale of breath, I left the room, Agent Hellboy, and Agent Lightning.

"Agent Clay." His head turned when he heard his name. He stood by the doorway of the neighboring medic room. This particular room housed a water tank that allowed aquatic creatures to recover from any type of injury. Agent Sapien was occupying it at the moment.

"How is he?" He asked, stepping away from the door of the second medic room. I shook my head. Things were the same every time he asked me. His expression did not change. He probably hadn't expected anything better but instead was making sure that things hadn't gotten worse; something to keep hope alive.

"And Rai?" Agent Clay asked. Again I let out a slow breath.

"I think the only people that can help her are her fellow agents." I admitted. The agent nodded and heaved a sigh.

Again I felt for the agents of this organization. These weren't 'lucky' people that got to be 'heroes'. These were the unfortunate souls that were chosen to carry incredible gifts and protect hundreds of thousands of people who would never recognize them or thank them for their sacrifice. I would continue to pray for them until the day that I died. With a small nod of my head and a simple handshake, I left Agent Clay alone in the hallway.

Alone. No. They had each other, didn't they? They would pull through because they always had before. I was sure of it.

* * *

"Miss Sherman, are you feeling alright?" I shifted my gaze from the ceiling to the nurse standing beside my bed. I nodded and winced. My whole body felt stiff and sore. The nurse helped my sit up and I stared at my arm wrapped in gaze. I knew what had happened and I tried to hold back tears as I recalled the sight of Abe running, not only from the monsters, but from me.

"You suffered a pretty serious fracture but it should heal in no time." The nurse explained in a soft voice. "I exploded again." I whispered looking down in shame. The nurse glanced at me but before he could speak another voice interrupted him.

"You and Abe wouldn't have survived if you hadn't." The professor spoke up from the corner where he sat patiently.

"Is Abe alright?" I asked, panic creeping into my voice. The professor stood and walked to the side of the bed. "He's fine. His condition has been stabilized. He suffered a few major burns and was seriously injured when he fell from the glass world suspended above the circus arena." I blinked a few times as I tried to remember a fall. Had we fallen? That would explain my broken arm.

"What happened to Hellboy and Rai?" I asked, looking up from my arm. The professor's soft facial features froze over, his lips pressed together in a serious grimace, and his eyes were darker.

"Professor?" I felt my heart stop as I waited for an explanation as to what happened to the dynamic duo.

"They escaped the maze before you and Abe. Unfortunately, in an effort to destroy the last of the creatures. . . . . Rai miss calculated her last shot and Hellboy was hit."

The professor closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before he looked at me again. My right hand had unconsciously risen to cover my gaping mouth. "Oh my g…. Is Hellboy alright? Is Rai alright? Where are they?" I stood from my bed, ignoring the protest of the nurse. "Hellboy's condition is not very serious. You have nothing to worry about."

I watched the professor as he wiped his forehead.

"Professor Broom, sir, Agent Sapien has woken up." A nurse announced from the doorway. Professor Broom nodded and offered me his hand.

The next room wasn't as bright as the room I had just left. I caught a glimpse of Abe in a water tank but was led to the back of the room in order to stay out of the way. Clay entered the room behind us and stood beside me as the professor approached the tank.

"Abraham, how are you feeling?" The professor asked.

There was a moment of silence as Abe floated limply in place. He lifted a webbed, blue hand and placed it against the glace. The professor's shoulder loosened up and he appeared to be relaxing himself in order to keep Abe from sensing anything was wrong. Abe saw through the façade.

"Is Liz alright?" Abe asked first. The professor smiled. I stepped forward and smiled at Abe when he turned his head to look at me.

"I'm fine Abe. I am so sorry for everything. I shouldn't have…."

"Enough Liz. I'm not sure we would have made it without you. Don't mind these slight burns. They will heal and I am grateful that we are both alright." He wasn't going to let me continue to argue the matter and so I just smiled at him and tried to hide the small tear of relief that escaped my tired eyes.

"Professor, what has happened to Hellboy?" Abe asked, his hand still pressed to the glass. Abe could sense the professor's distress. It was to the professor's disappointment that Abe was now able to see what had happened.

"Has there been any improvement?" Abe asked. The professor heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my friend."

"How long have we been out?" I asked.

"Two days." Clay stated.

"Hellboy hasn't recovered in even the slightest way?" Abe questioned.

"The bullet went straight through his chest. It didn't inflict too much damage to his lungs. We originally believed it may have hit his heart but there has not been a drop in his pulse. We have monitored his recovery but Hellboy has shown no signs of waking up. At the moment he is stabilized and we believe he will make it through." A doctor spoke up. He stood quietly by the door and waited for us.

"Doctor, am I in any condition to assist your medical team and examine Hellboy for myself?" Abe asked, his head tilting to the side as he stared at the doctor. The Professor nodded quickly.

"Professor, you never told me how Rai is?" I said, hoping to know what became of my hot headed friend.

"She is by Hellboy's side." The Professor answered. The doctor cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Professor but Agent Lightning hasn't been seen anywhere in the medic bay for over six hours." This seemed to surprise the Professor and Clay.

Clay spoke up before the Professor could. "Rai is physically ok. She is hopefully getting some sleep back in her room. She hasn't slept in days so she needs it." He explained.

"That is what we are expecting her to do. However, under the circumstances, I believe we may need to verify this assumption before we simple ignore it." Abe said. Clay nodded and walked out of the room. I glanced at Abe and the Professor and then decided that I could help more by going with Clay. It was a short trip due to the fact that Clay was nearly sprinting the entire time.

Clay found her door and taped on it lightly. When there was no response, he slammed his fist against her door and listened for any kind of movement. Clay gave me a worried glanced and then twisted the handle of her door. It wasn't locked and the room wasn't occupied.

"Shit." He breathed.

"Go back to the Professor and tell him Rai is missing." Clay ordered, already heading in the opposite direction down the hall. "Where are you going?" I asked, wondering what sort of plan he had to find her.

"I'm going to find out when she left and where she went." He said simply.

"You think it's really going to be that easy to find her in all of New York?" I asked skeptically.

I saw him shake his head. "Hell no."

* * *

**So I hope you all liked it and I hope you will review. I loved how many reviews I got last time. Keep it up. I'll see you guys next time to see just how well Rai is holding up after this mess.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everybody. So yeah it takes forever for me to update but I don't want to just throw crap out there and expect you guys to like it. I had sort of a block and didn't know where to take this but now I'm back on track with things. It just took a little time. So yeah this is a really long chapter and I hope you enjoy. Read and Review.**

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Beer cans are spectacular. Well they could be. It depended on the circumstances. After emptying ten of them into your stomach for instance; that's when they are amazing.

I questioned the shape with a frown. Why would they make it a cylinder? It was so rectangular. Why not make it a cube or a sphere or a triangle? It would be cool if it was a triangle. Wait, no, triangles are two-dimensional. It would be a pyramid. Pyramids are three-dimensional. Yeah, a pyramid shaped beer can. A giggle escaped my lips. The eleventh can stopped the giggle.

The can shined really brightly under the hanging light bulb that illuminated the dark room. My knuckles caught my attention. They were white as they held the can; super white. Paper was white. What an interesting invention: paper. People wrote on paper and could draw on paper. But it was two-dimensional. The only three-dimensional type of paper was origami.

I wondered if origami could be made out of beer cans. Beer cans were made out of metal, right? I guessed so. I thought they were made out of aluminum. That was a metal. Metal was conductive. I could electrocute it. I squeezed the eleventh can until it crunched and became misshapen.

"What do you think you are doing?" I stared at the twelfth alcoholic beverage. "You can talk? Do you think origami can be made out of aluminum?" I asked the shiny shape that was not a pyramid.

"Aluminum? Origami? What in the world had you put those two thoughts together?" The can asked. I didn't giggle even though I found this situation humorous. It was talking. The can didn't answer my question. I didn't feel like asking it again.

"Well, you see beer can, I'm kind of in a situation that would be very hard to explain to a cylinder of aluminum." I whispered in a raspy voice. I heard the chair beside me move and glanced away from the can to see what made the noise. A small man sat in the chair. He looked funny when he turned and looked at me.

"I'm certainly not a cylinder of aluminum my dear. You don't handle your liquor very well do you? And yet you've downed way more than the normal humans' consumption. Impressive. Why not pass me a pint or two and tell me about your troubles, friend?" I blinked. He was blue, no wait that was just his suit that was blue. The voice belonged to my beer can and it made my head spin as I tried to figure out who was really talking to me.

The short man in the blue breathed out heavily. "You really are drunk my friend. I have something to take the edge off of that. I've made it as a temporary remedy for my curse. But you don't understand that so swallow some of this and then we'll talk." I was handed a small bottle. It had an interesting shape but I stopped myself before I could forget my pyramid idea and drank the contents of the bottle.

Where was I?

Who was I?

Wait, I know that one. I'm Rai Marshel. I don't like the last name. I like Lightning better.

Where was I? The place looked old. It looked like something a cat would cough up and it smelt like a bucket of vomit.

I stared at what lay in front of me. An old wooden bar with about a dozen empty beer cans sat before me.

My head was going to kill me later if my liver didn't fail before then.

I remembered the man and this time when I turned to him I realized just how drunk I had been. The 'man' wasn't human. His blue suit was actually green and his spiked bleach hair did nothing to hide the long pointed ears that came out of the sides of the man's head. He didn't look any older than me. I shook my head hard and then regretted it. The man's hand found mine and helped keep me steady before I could fall out of my seat.

"What the hell was that?" I breathed as I placed a hand on my forehead. I became more and more sober with each passing minute.

"At least now you can talk sensibly." The man said with a laugh. "Now, how about that drink?" He asked.

I lifted an eyebrow and glanced around the bar.

"Where's the bar tender? Where's anybody?"

"You really don't know where you are, do you? This isn't your typical bar, sweet heart. This is Chumley's. You want a drink then you need to ask the boss. He's a friendly ghost but still, a ghost."

I stared at him in confusion. "Chumley's isn't open. It never reopened." I explained. He laughed at me and suddenly a glass in front of me shattered. I screamed in surprise and then watched as a new cup was lifted from the back counter and placed in front of my neighbor.

He grinned at me with a mouth full of chipped yellow teeth. I forced a smile and leaned away from him.

"So what are you? And what was that about a curse." I said, staring at my neighbor curiously and suspiciously.

"You remembered that did you? You've already noticed that I'm not human. I'm a Clurichaun: a leprechaun that has been cursed with being permanently drunk. That flask that I gave you was filled with a remedy I discovered that can hold off the curse."

"Right…" I said slowly. "So that's why you have the green suit." This comment seemed to frustrate him.

"Absolutely not! Green happens to be my favorite color. It has nothing to do with those ridiculous stereotypes! Before you ask, I'm not Irish either. I'm an educated, proper man who was born here in America. My parents came from England and neither they nor I have the ability to overcome the power of time. I happen to be only twenty seven years old. I do not have a pot of gold and if I did I would not be here speaking to the likes of you. As my conclusion I would also like to note that rainbows are not magical, they are pure works of science and I have no business with them. Is that clear?"

He jabbed a finger at me in a threatening manner as he finished his rant. I pushed his hand aside and apologized. He settled down and focused on his drink.

"You are not a normal human." He said after a few minutes of silence. I glanced at him slightly surprised.

"Why else would I reveal my race and the bar tender's presence? So, what are you?"

What he said made enough sense. I suddenly realized that I had barely reacted to either of those things. I was use to the paranormal by now. I also realized that I didn't know how to answer his question.

What was I suppose to say? _A soldier? An Agent? A screw up? A murderer? _My heart skipped a beat when I thought of the last one. I leaned my cheek on my hand as I rested on the bar.

"I work for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. I capture and kill dangerous mythical creatures. I help and defend mythical creatures in need. I save the human race over and over and over again." I said in a bored monotone voice.

A glass of ice water settled in front of me. I couldn't see the bar tender but I guessed that he was either thanking me for something of just being nice. I smiled softly and took a sip. I turned my head to the man. He sat patiently as if waiting for me to expand on my answer.

"Ok Mr. Ch…cucha…leprechaun, I'm a human lightning bolt; a human battery that has had military training and currently works as a field agent for the BPRD. None of that matters though. I messed up. I messed up so bad." I rubbed my tired eyes.

"My first comment is that I am a Clurichaun. My second comment is that my name is Caleb, Caleb Ruedon. My third comment is a question that may offend you but I must ask because the curiosity eats away at me." I had to smile at his way of speaking. He switched back and forth between a simple New Yorker and this unknown European character.

"My whole team got really hurt on our last mission. I shot my partner on accident and did nothing to protect the others. Who knows how any of them are doing?" I didn't make eye contact with Caleb.

"So now you are running away?" He asked.

"What? No! I just… I needed some air."

"Are you trying to force down the guilt?"

"No! I mean, yeah, I don't want to deal with the guilt, but I have to face it. I just need a clear head in order to process everything."

"You needed a clear head so you decided to get drunk?"

"….Yeah" I had a defensive reply but it stuck in my throat as I realized how stupid I sounded.

"So now here we are." Caleb said, going back to his drink again. I stared at the ice in my glass of water. Caleb drummed his fingers on the bar's surface in order to draw my attention.

"If you are that worried about them why don't you just go back?" I thought about it for a brief minute.

"Because I'm confused." I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes. Caleb tilted his head to the side and stared at me.

"My partner, I think . . . I think I love him. I mean . . . I shot him!" I explained as if Caleb hadn't been there when I said it the first time. He nodded.

"Then apologize and tell him how you feel. Maybe he feels the same way."

"I can't!" I groaned. There was no way to explain it. Everything seemed overly complicated in my head. "He loves someone else." I whispered. Maybe it wasn't that complicated. I love him and he loves her, end of story.

I wanted to apologize though. I wanted to apologize for everything. I was sorry that I had acted pathetic and scared and that I had cried on him during the last mission. I was sorry that I always got into trouble and I was sorry that he always had to save me. I almost laughed when I thought about the pranks that we pulled on each other. I wanted to apologize for those as well. I was sorry that I had upset him when I called him Red. I was sorry for attacking Liz and hurting her and for reminding him of her a lot. I wanted to apologize because I had been annoying and because I was jealous.

I stared at the empty wine bottles sitting on the shelves behind the bar. Their different colors reflected off of the mirror behind them and through all of the colors I could see my reflection. I didn't look nearly as tired as I felt. A hand landed on my shoulder and I knew it was Caleb. He was comforting me, a complete stranger. His small act of kindness made the corners of my lips twitch upwards into a small smile.

Conversation almost died after that, almost. I listened while Caleb talked. At one point I started to drift to sleep when a noise startled me awake. I turned and watched an ancient jukebox come to life. A string of old songs played softly but Caleb paid no mind to it and continued chattering.

He was an interesting person. I didn't interrupt with questions or comments. I simply watched him and nodded now and then. He made me laugh. His laugh was deep and reminded me of my father and this made me smile. I wondered why he came here alone. His personality was warm and friendly. There must be plenty of other people that he would rather spend his time with. But I said nothing and just let him speak.

I didn't notice that the room had a clock until I heard a loud bang against the far wall and spotted the clock hanging. It was three in the morning. The sound startled Caleb. The bar tender tapped the counter with an empty glass and I watched as Caleb's surprise turned into frustration and finally into fear.

"What is it? What was that?" I asked glancing back and forth between the wall and Caleb.

"The Ornias Brothers…" He replied, as if that was explanation enough. Before I asked who the Ornias Brothers were Caleb jumped from his seat, drink forgotten, and climbed over the bar. I stared at the edge of the bar top waiting for his head to reappear.

"Caleb?" I asked, standing from my seat. His head rose slightly as he peeked over the wooden surface. His bright eyes stared across the room and then flashed towards me.

"They weren't supposed to be wandering the streets anymore. I heard their uncle had punished them severely the last time they caused trouble. They were rumored to be in Canada. So then why are they back?" Caleb's voice had become a strained whisper. He sounded like he was talking to himself but at least I was able to figure out what was going on.

"Listen kid. If they see you, you're going to be in some serious trouble. They aren't a fan of humans and they defiantly don't like the BPRD. They have this grudge against your agents, especially now that their adoptive uncle has been taken into custody." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"They're uncle?" I raised an eyebrow at him and his hostile reaction to these Ornias brothers.

"He ran the abandoned circus grounds outside the limits of the city."

_Shit. _My heart nearly stopped.

There was a sharp noise from the back of the room. The back door connected with the adjacent wall. Caleb squeaked in a very non-manly way. I was left to think of the fast solution to this problem. I lifted myself over to the other side of the bar and stuffed Caleb's head down.

The air was filled with loud, obnoxious laughter.

"I'm telling you man, he's not going to serve you anything." A loud, young voice presented itself.

"Yeah it's not like you can do anything about it either Myk." A second voice said, sounding a little older.

There was a third voice that didn't say anything but offered a rude growl.

When they came into view I immediately knew what Caleb had meant by 'adoptive uncle'. They looked nothing like the old man I had met. They looked fairly human with some features that reminded me of trolls. They were huge and my hand unconsciously landed on my waist. I cursed when I didn't find my gun. But I found something else that could be just as useful. I was still wearing my BPRD belt. By now Clay, as over protective as he was, had probably noticed that I was gone. The light flickered to life when I pressed the button on my locator. Someone would notice an active signal in the middle of the city. Wouldn't they?

I lost my train of thought when I heard the loud whistles. They had spotted me as well.

"Well I guess we don't have to worry about old man Chumley." One of them commented as he took a seat in front of the counter. His eyes trailed over my figure and I resisted the urge to hit him.

Those eyes were fascinating. I found myself staring into them, a stupefied look on my face. The outer edge, the sclera, was black. The only contrast to separate it from the black pupil was a white ring acting as the cornea. I heard a small chuckle and realized the man was laughing at me.

"Look guys, she's lost in my eyes." I blushed and shook my head when one of the others laughed at me as well.

"She's human." The third man said harshly, as if that was his excuse for not laughing along with the others.

"Yeah I guess you're right." The man before me said. He reached a hand towards me in an attempt to grab my neck. I stepped out of reach with a growled: "Back off!" and made my electricity visible to emphasize my threat.

The man before me whistled again. "Apparently she's not." He said to his serious brother. This seemed to be enough convincing for the uptight brother and he sat to the right of his sibling. The younger brother sat to the left of the first man. I trailed my eyes across each of them, ending with the young brother. He flashed a large toothy grin at me.

"Hi, I'm Ja-kub." He said flirtatiously, pronouncing the 'J' with a Russian accent. He appeared to be about 18 or 19 but acted as though he had been in bars all his life when he asked for a glass of beer. When I didn't move his older brother's gave me a suspicious look.

"You are the bartender miss. I suggest you get all of us a drink or I'm not sure I can guarantee your safety. My brother Mykail is pretty tense tonight and there's no telling when he will snap." The middle brother said motioning towards the largest and scariest of the three brothers.

Caleb reminded me of his presence when he gripped my leg. He was worried about me, with just cause. I was worried as well.

I gulped but did as the unnamed brother said. When I turned back Ja-kub was glaring at his older brothers. "Kar you're so mean sometimes. You know that?" Kar rolled his eyes.

They accepted their drinks silently and stared at me as they drank. I did the same to them. They were typical boys but there were still signs that they weren't right in the head. They all had the same eyes, black and white, and their skin was an abnormal shade of grey, giving them the appearance that reminded me of trolls. Their facial features were harsh. The smiles they offered were dark and devious. Their hair is what set them apart from one another.

Ja-kub had bright red hair that spiked in every direction, defying gravity. He seemed to like the fact that we had similar hair color because he kept glancing from my face to my hair and back again as he drank his alcohol.

Kar's hair was green and spiked as well but the spikes seemed more organized as they all came together near the front of his hair line. His frame was much bigger than Ja-kub's but it was nothing compared to Mykail.

He had a buzz cut that made it hard for me to spot the blue shade of his hair. His muscles were prominent and the glare that was focused on my face seemed to say that he could and would use them if I stepped out of line.

"Karson…" Mykail said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had appeared. "Yes?" Kar replied moving his eyes from me to his brother.

"You smell him too, don't you?" Kar tilted his head to the side while Ja-kub and I watched the two men.

"That depends. Are we talking about the squirt behind the counter or that scent that's all over her?" Kar asked.

I felt the warmth and color drain from my face as I stared at the group before me. They knew Caleb was there and knew I was protecting him. These guys were huge and dangerous and I was trapped.

"I don't care for the meat behind the counter. I'm talking about that scent on her. It's the scent of the blood that we found at uncle's circus. She's covered in it." Mykail made eye contact with me and I felt my heat skip a beat. His eyes screamed murderous intent.

Blood, they smelt Hellboy's blood. I had changed clothes, showered twice, and they could still smell it. The thought made me feel sick.

I didn't react fast enough to move out of reach. Mykail held my chin and forced me to stare at him. His grip was so strong that it had me standing on the tips of my toes so that he wouldn't have the opportunity to break my neck. I placed my hands on the bar top and tried to balance myself as he nearly lifted me off my feet.

"Nice belt." Mykail commented as the belt buckle came into view over the edge of the counter. "Damn it." Ja-kub and Kar muttered, both being disappointed that they wouldn't get to have any fun with their female bar tender.

"Mind telling me where our Uncle is?" I tried to move my head but he held my jaw in place. "I don't know what you're talking about." I replied. He smiled at me for the first time and it chilled me to the bone. His hand shifted quickly so that he could grip my neck. My hands locked around his wrist.

"Stop." I pleaded as my access to air became limited.

"My brother asked you a question." Karson smirked at me. "Does it matter? Mess with me and you're going to be joining him pretty soon." I growled at the beast holding my throat. Without warning my face met the wooden bar top.

"Do you have something you want to tell me now?" Mykail asked.

"Yeah. This wood may look nice but it's defiantly not high quality." I commented, lifting my injured head and spitting out some blood. Ja-kub laughed, earning him a cuff on the ear from Karson. Mykail growled like a real monster. It looked as though it didn't take much effort on his part to lift me over the counter and toss me to the ground. I landed on my face again and as I was trying to get to my hands and knees a large boot connected with my stomach.

"I take that back. If you compare the wood floor to the bar I guess the bar is a much better quality." I muttered, earning me another kick to the stomach.

I prayed Caleb would stay hidden and that they would leave him alone. I rolled onto my back and held my bruised stomach. Mykail's hand gripped my belt buckle and pulled me up. I landed on my feet and was trying to regain balance when he shoved me backwards into Karson. Two strong arms pulled me into a full nelson hold.

"Watch your mouth." Karson breathed his warning in my ear. I watched Mykail take a few steps towards the previously unnoticed set of tattered pool tables. They had obviously been dragged in long after the bar had been closed to the human population. Myk picked an old pool stick from the rack and tested its weight in his hands.

"You know, you're lucky." He began, handling the stick with care as he examined it from several angles.

"My uncle controls a lot of black magic. He could have easily hexed you like he hexed your friend." I removed my eyes from the pool stick and glared at the grey skinned man suspiciously.

"What do you mean he hexed my friend?" I asked cautiously. The beast smirked at me.

"One bullet, just one simple little bullet. That's not really enough to kill a demon like him. Trust me, we demon's don't go down that easily." Mykail walked back towards me, pool stick in hand.

"The hex prevents his healing. On top of that, the hex deteriorates the mind. Guilt, depression, self-hatred, they all grow until there isn't anything left to feel other than those emotions. Even if he hadn't been shot, he probably would have offed himself in just a matter of days." Mykail's smile was wicked and cruel.

I felt my heart in the back of my throat and my eyes began to sting as tears tried to get past the seal of my eyelids. I wanted to scream and cry. But even more than that, I wanted to kill this demon Mykail and the old man that was his uncle.

"How do you even know that your uncle was able to hex my friend?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. Mykail made a sound that I guessed must have been a laugh. "The injury was infected as soon as it was exposed to air. We could smell it in his blood." I gulped as I recalled the blood again. The imagery would haunt me, more than any other tragedy I had ever experienced, for the rest of my life.

"Bastard." I whispered hatefully. Karson tightened his grip around me. A dark smile spread across my face as I thought of how in trouble he was.

My electric voltage scared him. His skin burned and his eyes widened as he screamed in pain. I readied myself to be released but was surprised by the piercing pain that was introduced to my right shoulder and upper arm. Suddenly it was my scream that was echoing through the room. I hesitantly turned my head to find the source of the pain. He was biting me. Karson had his teeth imbedded into the top of my right arm with his arms still securely holding my arms up.

Mykail growled threateningly. "Damn it Karson! I want her alive! Exactly how are we going to get anywhere with a poisoned hostage?" Two words stood out to me in Mykail's raving questions: hostage and poisoned.

_Shit._

If I thought my arm was hurting with Karson's teeth in it I was sadly mistaken. No explanation could describe how painful it was when he removed them. My arm screamed in pain and I felt as if I was going to die. My vision became blurred but never completely disappeared. I turned to the right to examine the wound and through the haze brought on by the pain I spotted an almost fluorescent green surrounding it. Every muscle in my body reacted to this "poison" and it felt like I had just been hit, head on, by a semi truck.

I saw movement through my fuzzy vision. I ducked as the pool stick flew towards me. It connected with something solid behind me and I heard the crack as the single pool stick became multiple splinters of wood.

"Damn it Ja-kub! Stay out of the way!" Mykail shouted from some far off distance.

"Shut it Myk. This little prick is my business now." Karson growled.

The all too familiar sound of a pistol being cocked sent chills down my spine. "You're mine." I heard the voice like a whisper. I moved as quickly as I could but I couldn't tell if I had been shot. My body was already in so much pain. A gunshot wound would be like a pinprick in this situation. Nevertheless, I continued to move.

"Don't kill her!" Ja-kub demanded. I wished that Karson would listen.

"Leave her alone!" _Caleb, please don't!_

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"What is that?" I asked gruffly. I pointed towards the blinking light that had appeared on one of the computer screens.

"Sir, it appears someone activated their locater. That's strange." The agent in charge of 'said' computer flipped through a few screens.

"What is it?" I asked, taking a sip from my coffee mug.

"We don't have any active investigations going on in that area, Sir." The agent replied.

"Whose locator is it? I mean don't we have protocol on this? Isn't every locater authorized through some record?" I asked, rubbing a hand over my head and taking another drink. The agents in the room searched through some files until a young man on the other side of the room spoke up.

"Director Manning, the locator belongs to Agent Lightning." He informed. I gulped. If she activated her locator then she might be in trouble and if it was trouble to her than it was probably very serious.

"Someone get a hold of Agent Clay. Have a team put together that can offer him and Agent Lightning back up. Have a medical team put in place as well. We don't know the situation so go in ready for the worst." I ordered.

"Yes Sir." The occupants of the room replied in unison. That big red asshole better wake up soon. His girlfriend could really use him right now.

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**I don't think I have ever done this from Manning's point of view. ^.^ I like it. He's so simple minded and he just thinks that Hellboy and Rai are together. Well I hope you guys liked it. Next chapter gets a little scary for Rai. Reviews are always helpful and I like getting them so that I feel encouraged to keep writting. Until next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

You'd think that only so many terrible things could happen to me in such a short period of time. It doesn't seem fair but, life takes unexpected turns sometimes and in the end you are simple left to wonder, "Did that just happen?" That's how I felt.

"_Did this all really just happen, Rai?"_

"_Did it?"_

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The air was cold and the buildings were dark. As I stepped over the scummy gutter and continued through the dark alley towards the back door of the infamous Chumley's I realized that everything sounded too quiet. The absence of sound made it all seem too fake and untrustworthy. It sets a person on edge. The surrounding apartments stared down at me with their dark windows.

The door to the building was whole but it lay on the ground. It almost seemed like a welcome mat… or a red carpet. A red substance, after all, was what covered the ground just beyond it and a few specks of the substance had made their way to the fallen door. My eyes trailed upwards, from the floor to the carnage that had become the interior of Chumley's. Carnage was truly what it was.

Glass and wood lay everywhere. Smashed tables and chairs littered the floor. A few pool tables were set up on the left hand side of the room, one of which was smashed in half. On the right side of the room was the bar, running parallel to the wall for about three quarters the length of the room before wrapping around and becoming perpendicular with the wall. The glass bottles and the glass mirror on the wall behind the bar were shattered, no longer able to reflect the dim light in the room. The bar was smashed in two places and two support beams from the ceiling had collapsed on the area behind the bar. The middle of the room had a large hole in the floor boards where a pipe line had been severed and water arched upwards before coming down in a light sprinkle. Small bits of the ceiling found their way to the ground, landing softly like snowflakes.

Once my attention was caught by the sheer complexity of the wreck, I lost track of why I was there.

The sound of my boot crunching down on a piece of metal reminded me of my purpose. I bent down and plucked the metal from the debris. It was a belt buckle attached to a small black belt; the belt with the blinking locator that belonged to the girl I was looking for.

I called her name but there was no reply.

In front of the bar was a body. It was sitting on its knees leaning against a barstool. The skin was ash gray. The hair was green. Blood was flowing from multiple bullet wounds to the chest.

I wandered towards the left side of the room, avoiding the large hole in the floor and the body by the bar.

I examined the remaining pool table. The green surface was vibrant and stood out among the dry lifeless shades of the rest of the room. The color also contrasted well with the red substance that appeared again, this time in the form of a large stain in the green.

I stepped back and scanned the room again. I inched toward the hole in the floor. Someone from the doorway gave me the cliché advice to "be careful".

I peered over the edge of the abyss and found a beast of a man. There was the same gray skin but with a blue buzz cut. The muscles were larger than the other one but apparently the only thing necessary to take him down was a pool stick that had been used as a make-shift stake, penetrating his shoulder, and holding him to the ground. He had most likely lost consciousness due to blood loss, that or the large grueling bruise on his head that looked as though someone or something hit him incredibly hard.

"Quite a mess." A voice behind me spoke softly. "You didn't need to drag yourself all the way out here, Abe." I offered as a reply.

"Is there any sign of her so far?" He asked, ignoring my comment regarding his health. I didn't turn around to answer. My hand gripped tighter around her lost belt, on which a locator continued to blink. It couldn't help us find her now. I shook my head and resisted the urge to throw the belt. She would probably want it back, if we found her.

"We found a third grey man right inside the doorway, unconscious. He was taken away to be treated for his wounds before you got here." Abe said.

"Take these two in. They need medical attention and we're going to need them to tell us what happened here." I ordered in as calm a voice as I could offer. Abe shook his head

"The one by the bar is already dead. As for him," Abe stopped motioning towards the blue haired man in the hole. "We can't move him without the threat of him waking up and hurting someone on accident." I laughed without any real humor.

"Like it would really be an accident." I muttered. Abe ignored the comment.

"We are going to wait until he wakes up and then offer to help on the terms that he doesn't injure anyone. His life isn't in very much danger at the moment so we can wait."

The only evidence that Rai had been here was her belt. I wiped my face.

What the hell was she doing in a bar in the first place? She ditches all of us to go to a bar, seriously? Were all of the top agents in the BPRD crazy?

I massaged my temples. I couldn't wrap my mind around their antics half the time. Was this how the rest of my career would play out? I shook my head and thought about retiring. It didn't seem likely that it would happen. This job was my life even if it would be the death of me.

I looked back at Abe. "Does Manning know you're out here?" I asked, eyeballing his bandages and the sling on his arm. "No, but he doesn't need to."

* * *

I hadn't expected either of us to survive the shot but that didn't mean I wasn't happy that we had. Ironically, it was Mykail who came to our rescue. He tackled Karson and struggled to gain control of the gun.

The bullet escaped the barrel and launched itself at us, but it was off target. The bullet hit Caleb's shoulder, knocking him backwards. It didn't stick its landing. The bullet spiraled through him and was lost in some other part of the bar, never to be seen again.

I tried to move to help him, but the pain seizing the right side of my body was too much. I stared across the room at the fighting brothers, struggling to keep my eyes open. Ja-kub tried pulling them apart but Mykail shoved him away to keep him from getting hurt.

Another shot went off and then another. Karson was thrown off balance when a fist connected with his left eye. He clutched his face and tried to steady himself but Mykail didn't give him enough time. He slammed into Karson, lifting him off his feet. They both crashed into one of the pool tables where Mykail proceeded to slam Karson's face into the green surface of the pool table repeatedly.

From the opposite side of the room Ja-kub roared at his brothers, begging them to stop. His older brothers were deaf to his cries.

We had time. Caleb and I could escape and get away if we acted quickly. I dragged myself to my knees and leaned my weight on my uninjured left arm. I pulled at Caleb's sleeve and to my relief he turned over with a forced smile on his lips.

"That hurt." He whispered in a pained voice. He tried to laugh it off but it ended up sounding like a cough. The hole in his shoulder wasn't large but it was bleeding heavily. I nodded my head at him and asked him in sort gasps if he could help me stand. Once I was on my feet, the pain eased slightly and the relief nearly caused me to collapse. Thankfully, Caleb held me steady.

"Let's…get out…of here." I breathed. Caleb never replied. He saw the danger coming before I did and shoved me out of the way: hard. I hit the bar and felt a sharp pain in my chest. _Ribs, damn it._

I turned back to see what happened to Caleb and found him cowering in front of Karson. The green haired beast picked him up by his collar and punched him in the face, knocking him out. Mykail, who had been lying in the remains of a wooden table and its chairs, stood up quickly and caught Karson off guard again. Caleb was dropped to the floor as Mykail used Karson's body to smash clean through the bar top.

The impact shook the rest of the counter and I could no longer hang on to it for support. Reluctantly, I let go and fell back into something hard and warm. Arms caught me around the waist and I looked up to find my fellow red head.

"Shit." I breathed. Ja-kub smiled at me darkly. "Pretty much." He laughed dryly. To my relief, he decided not to drop me. Instead he shoved me away from him and that gave me the leverage I needed to stand on my own. I turned back to him and saw my belt in his hand. He spotted the blinking locator, growled at me, and then tossed it over his shoulder.

"You and your friend aren't leaving until my brothers' figure out this mess. You got that?" I nodded and mentally decided that it would probably be for the best if I fought back. That way, even if I lost, I would be dead and the pain would stop.

* * *

"This isn't a good idea. Abe you are still really weak. I don't think the professor would approve of you coming out in the field like this." I said. Abe simply walked past me. I followed after him and sat in one of the only surviving chairs of the bar.

"I suppose the rumors of this place re-opening are just going to have to stay rumors." I said in an attempt to cheer up the dark mood that had settled long before any of us had appeared on the scene.

Agents were trying to clear away the bar. That was the only place we hadn't checked. The wood and ceiling debris were taking too much time to move. She could be underneath it all, dying, and we couldn't help her. Abe noticed my inpatients and placed a hand on my shoulder. He lifted Rai's belt from my hands and I released it.

"I will try to find out if she really is beneath it." He said. It was a comfort. If we knew she was under there and found out where she was exactly then we could focus on that area alone and get her out faster. I stood from my seat and watched Abe intently as he raised a hand to test the area.

For a minute he stood completely still. His webbed fingers twitched and then he swung his arm around in the complete opposite direction of the bar. His head tilted to the side and his eyes flickered across the room quickly. Suddenly he didn't seem so interested in find Rai. He was seeing something. He turned to a different direction and then another. He turned in a complete circle and then went still again with his hand hanging in mid air. I reached out to stop him and ask him what was going on but he dropped his hand and turned in my direction quickly.

"Did you find her?" I asked. He blinked at me as though he didn't understand who I was talking about.

"Rai, do you know where she is?" I asked again. Abe shook his head.

"I will contact a medical team immediately to take my place." He said out of the blue.

"What? You're leaving? Abe, we have to find her!" I shouted in frustration. He didn't react to my outburst and instead started towards the door.

"You will find her. Give the men a few more minutes and they will. I have to go. Hellboy's life is at stake." He stated.

"You have got to be kidding me. Hellboy is fine. Rai needs our help right now!" I argued. Abe shook his head and kept walking. I watched him leave Chumley's and grumbled impatiently at my fellow agents.

"He has to have a good reason." I muttered to myself, trying to calm down. I turned back to watch the other agents work on the mess behind the bar. I started to try and think of a good reason for Abe. Nothing came to mind but I continued to try, if only to keep my mind off of Rai's whereabouts.

* * *

Ja-kub hit the wall of glass bottles behind the bar and cried out in pain. He grabbed a broken bottle and threw it at me. I dodged the first bottle and ducked to avoid the second. He didn't throw the third and instead opted to try to use it as a dagger when he climbed back over the bar. He was much faster than me and would have been able to do some damage if we hadn't ran into Mykail and Karson.

I hit Mykail and we fell over while Karson caught Ja-kub's weapon with his back. Mykail tried to punch me but I rolled away from him. I tried to stand but Mykail's hand closed around my ankle and he yanked it with all of his strength.

I hit the floor (more broken ribs) and yelp as he pulled me towards him. I was dragged a very short distance and was then lifted into the air. My scream was cut short when my back hit a table and smashed right through it.

Mykail left me on the floor in the remains of the table while he went to rescue Ja-kub. Karson had removed the broken bottle from his back and threw it aside. He tackled his little brother and they rolled back towards the pool tables. When I looked back towards them, I saw that Karson had a broken pool stick and planed on using it to beat Ja-kub.

I lost sight of them for a few moments as I tried to pull myself up. It was extremely painful but I managed to get to my knees and then took hold of a nearby chair and propelled myself to my feet. I ignored the loud crash that I heard behind me and moved towards Caleb's unconscious body. He was still breathing and I pulled him behind the counter in hopes that it would be safer than out there in the battlefield.

I didn't want to stop and rest beside him because I feared that I would pass out and be at the mercy of the crazy guys killing each other only a few yards away. I lifted my head over the counter and watched Ja-kub hit the ceiling. The room shook with the force and a large beam from the ceiling came crashing down beside Caleb and me. It created a small protected space between it and the back wall and I moved Caleb to it quickly. Once he was settled again I looked back up to find the Ornias Brothers.

Ja-kub wasn't moving from his spot on the floor. Mykail looked like he was running out of steam. Karson, on the other hand, looked completely pumped. They didn't even seem to remember why they were fighting; they just were. They were taunting each other but I couldn't hear them from where I sat.

My vision was starting to become darker around the edges. My head hurt and when I reached a hand up to massage my sore temples I found that my head was leaking loads of blood. I had lost a lot and I was starting to feel it take effect. The room shook again but I didn't look up from my blood covered hand to see who had hit what.

There were a few more crashes that sounded closer this time so I forced myself to look up. Mykail and Karson were gone. I checked to make sure that they were really absent from the room and then started to pull myself over the bar top.

I never jumped down. I heard a fierce cry and froze. From this height I could see the large hole that had been created in the floor.

Karson's body blocked my view for a moment but then he turned to pull himself out of the hole and I saw the rest of the scene. Mykail lay at the bottom of the hole with a pool stick piercing his shoulder and holding him to the ground. He was no longer conscious on the account of the large pulsing wound on the side of his face.

Karson made it to his feet on the wooden floor and glanced around the room. His eyes moved slowly as he examined everything. Finally, they landed on me. I was still sitting on the bar top, frozen solid with fear. He no longer had distractions to worry about.

He was going to kill me.

I didn't move a muscle as he walked towards me. With each step a wicked grin grew wider on his face. I felt moister on my cheeks and, for a moment, I thought it was the blood from my head, but it wasn't. I was crying. I didn't want to die. "Pl…please." I stuttered. His grin couldn't get any bigger.

I wanted to kill myself for being so stupid. I wasn't even trying to help myself. He stood right in front of me and I could feel his breath on my face.

"Please…" I whispered one more time. He didn't say anything.

We both flinched when we heard the explosion. Our eyes grew wide and we didn't breathe. But it wasn't an explosion that we had heard.

It was a gun shot. Together, Karson and I looked down at his chest. Karson touched the small hole in the middle of his chest and was bewildered when he brought his hand back to his face and found blood. Two more shots rang out and with them came two more holes.

Karson fell forward and nearly dragged me off the bar top as he slumped to the floor. I watched him catch himself on a barstool and glance up at me with pure hatred in his eyes.

I looked away from the dying demon and locked eyes with his murderer. Ja-kub stood to my left. The angle at which he made the shots allowed me to come out of this untouched by the bullets. His eyes were filling with tears. He backed up slowly and aimed the gun at me. His teary eyes caused him to misjudge his aim and each shot he fired missed me by a long shot.

I slid back behind the bar just in case and listened to Ja-kub fire the last few shells in his pistol. I faintly recall hearing another crash as my back relaxed into the floor beside Caleb. My view became dark even before I passed out and that confused me but I was too tired to think about it. I blinked a few times and then allowed my eyes to close.

_My arm hurts._

* * *

**To be continued...**

**I just released a one shot about Rai and Hellboy call This Means War. If you want, you can go read that for fun. If I get any other one shot ideas I might just group them with that. Feel free to review that and this. If you have any ideas for one shots about Rai/Hellboy throw them my way. It might be fun.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here we go again. I've been gone a while, I know. I love writing this story though. I had a tough time getting through this and the next chapter but I finally got everything where I want it to be. Hope you enjoy this update.**

* * *

_I'm going to kill someone if they don't turn up the heat in this damn building._

I opened my eyes expecting to see my dreary room. The ceiling was a little too close, it was too dark, and the sound of heavy breathing penetrated my ears louder than any noise I'd ever heard.

My head was throbbing painfully. Was this what a hangover felt like? Was it a hangover? I didn't recall drinking.

I wanted to lift my arms to cover my ears and block out the headache but I found that I couldn't move them. That was strange. I was at least able to turn my head to the side and found the source of the heavy breathing. A man's face lay very close to my own. He had blood running down his cheek from a small cut and his eyes were closed. The skin around one of the eyes was black and blue. His hair was so blond that it almost appeared white and his ears were pointy.

All around me was broken glass and splintered wood chips. I still couldn't move or feel anything other than my head and I couldn't remember where I was or what happened to me. I slowly lifted my head to try and see if I was hurt. That slight movement sent a shock wave through the right side of my body.

A blood curdling scream penetrated the stuffy air.

Everything snapped back in an instant. I felt it all, every deep and shallow cut, every drop of blood lost. I felt every bruise and all of my broken ribs. Worst of all, I felt the searing burn of the poison wrapping itself around the bones in my arm.

The ceiling above me disappeared and a light shined in my face.

A hand clamped down over my mouth and a voice shouted at me, telling me I was going to be ok. This person was obviously delusional. The only way it would be ok is if I died, right then and there, and the pain went away forever.

"What do we do?" Someone shouted.

_Here's an idea, shut up. Your voice is _way_ too loud._ I thought, wincing at the sound.

"Her arm is glowing!" Another voice shouted.

_Really?_

"I've seen this poison before. Its calcium based. It's going to follow her bones to her spine and then deteriorate every bone in her body." A third voice explained. That scared me.

"It moves very slowly and hasn't gone far but we need to isolate it in her arm otherwise the damage may become permanent." The voice said. I panicked for a moment but I thought of an idea during that panic attack.

"Mmmrk mah Mmolmr mome!" I screamed into the hand over my mouth.

"What did she say?"

"Take your hand off her damn mouth and maybe we'll know." The person did as they were told and I breathed in a large amount of air. The deep breath made my broken ribs ach.

"Break my collar bone!" I screamed. The voices around me went silent. I wished that they would get rid of that ridiculous light so that I could see their faces.

"We don't need to be that dramatic."

"Actually, it may help slow down the poison. It won't be enough to stop it but it will buy her a few more minutes.

"Just do it!" I screamed, not wanting this pain to grow into any other part of my body. A hand found mine and squeezed it softly.

"I'm sorry." The person whispered close to my face. I didn't say a word as I braced myself. The hand tightened and something struck me. I didn't want to scream. I wanted to be brave and take the blow in silence but I just couldn't.

It hurt and I cried.

* * *

"How is he?" A soft voice asked.

"He was infected by black magic that was keeping him from recovering through treatment. If I hadn't found out about it when I did he may have already been too far gone. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult for me to break the hex that was on him once I got back here. He could wake up at anytime. Be assured that it will happen very soon." Another voice explained.

"He's not going to be happy." The first voice, small and feminine, whispered.

"None of us are happy. We don't even know if she's going to make it." A third voice snapped. That didn't sound good at all.

"Don't talk like that! Of course she will make it." The woman argued, defending an unknown "she".

"I believe she will be fine, Clay. The only complication was the poison in her arm." The logical second voice said.

"_Don't know if she's going to make it…"_

"_Poison…"_

_Rai…_

_What a wonderful thing to wake up to. The kid can't even stay out of trouble when I'm incapacitated. _

Feeling in my body came back slowly and it was painful as hell. The tight pain in my chest was the worst of it. The pain subsided as slowly as it had appeared. I cracked my eyelids open and was blinded by the bright lights in the room. I groaned and got the attention of the three other occupants in the room.

"Hellboy!" Liz shouted in relief.

I tried to sit up, ignoring the pain in my chest and back. Ignoring it became much easier when Liz pulled me into a hug. I enjoyed the short moment of contact and let go reluctantly when she stepped back.

I blinked a few times to get use to the light. When I refocused on the people around me, I was a little surprised. Liz had her arm in a cast. Abe had bandages on his two arms. Clay's usually well kept hair was in disarray and his tie was loosened and wrinkled. His suit was tattered and dirty. Another quick glance around the group brought me to the realization that all of them looked like crap.

"Has no one here been sleeping or showering since I last saw you?" I asked with a teasing smile. Liz smiled back. Abe blinked. Clay ignored the joke and dropped his head into his hands, exhausted.

I steadily got to my feet, ignoring Liz and Abe's protest. I tried to retain some dignity as I stumbled toward the door.

"Hellboy, you need to stay in here. You aren't fully healed yet." Liz said planting herself in front of me as I tried to leave. "I'm fine." I countered, trying to step passed her. She held her ground with a scowl. "And where exactly do you think you are going?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

"I want to see Sparky." I replied. Liz tensed.

"Red… you can't. She's… busy." Liz tried to explain. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Can the bull shit. I heard all of you. I know she's in trouble and I want to see her." Liz tried to stay in my way but I made it passed her.

Once I was out in the hall, I realized I had no idea where to start looking. Liz followed after me and directed me to the right room.

I walked as quickly as my body would allow. My father stopped me at the door to Rai's room. He looked relieved to see me but then he gave me a look I knew very well that said that I needed to stay calm.

I entered the room with Liz who was ready to catch me if my legs gave out. Not that it would be very helpful, seeing as I'd probably crush her.

"Sparky." I breathed softly. The kid wasn't even recognizable under all the bandages. Her head and half her face were covered with gauze.

Her beautiful, acidic green eyes were closed. Every part of her body, from head to toe, was either bandaged or in a brace. The bandages were starting to turn red after soaking up so much blood.

I felt my father place a hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing you can do for her right now." My father said. Suddenly Liz was in front of me, trying to push me back and take me away from the sight.

"Sparky. Come on kid wake up." I muttered, suddenly feeling completely at fault. I need to take care of her. I need to make sure she would pull through this. Liz kept pushing and a few minutes later she got me away from the room.

"What happened? Who did this? How did she…" I was so pissed I couldn't even complete my thought. This wasn't what I wanted to wake up to. This wasn't something that I wanted to worry about. But it was here, in front of me and there was nothing I could do. I stormed back into the medical room that I had been held in and confronted Clay.

"The Ornias Brothers." He said, answering a question that he hadn't heard me ask aloud.

_They would pay._

"There really isn't much left for you to do. One of them is dead and the other two had no intention of kill her." Abe said. Clay barked a laugh. "That doesn't mean they didn't cause some damage." He glared at Abe, daring him to question the statement. I was surprised by the agent's fierce attitude.

"There was another person that we found unconscious at the scene who wasn't one of them. He apparently tried to protect Rai and she protected him. He told us everything that happened and he's currently receiving medical attention." Abe explained. I sat down on the edge of my bed.

"What happened, Blue?" I asked. Liz sat beside me and Clay put his head back in his hands. Abe remained standing and explained every detail of the incident that he had seen through Rai's memories.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Why on earth was she in a bar?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. Clay shook his head. "You'd have to ask the leprechaun." He replied. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

_A leprechaun? Of all the creatures in the world that she would end up in a bar with, it had to be a damn leprechaun? _

* * *

"How does your head feel?" She didn't answer.

"Can you touch the tips of your fingers to your thumb, please?" She lifted her left hand and showed me that she could.

"How about the right hand?" I asked. She stared down at her right arm, willing it to move, but she had no success. "Sorry, Abe." She mumbled.

"It is alright. I didn't expect you to be able to move it." I placed her medical chart down on a side table. "When was the last time you had your bandages changed?" She glanced over at the clock near the door.

"Two hours ago." She answered quietly.

"Good." I stood from my chair and started towards the door.

"Is Caleb ok?" She asked before I could leave. I turned around to look over her again. She was still mostly covered in medical gaze and dark purple bruises. She looked tired and I knew, despite the strong medication, she was in serious pain. Yet she was still worried about someone else.

"He is recovering. He woke up long before you did and we contacted his family to inform them of the situation." I explained. She nodded her head slowly. "And the Brothers?" She asked hesitantly.

"Karson is dead. Mykail and Jacob are being..." She interrupted me before I could finish. "His name is Ja-kub, not Jacob." She muttered. I stared at her questioningly for a moment but then I decided it didn't really matter.

"Right, Ja-kub. The two of them are being taken care of and will be detained for further questioning about the incident."

She didn't seem to care about that last part. All she wanted to know was who was alive and who wasn't. She stared up at the ceiling mindlessly.

"Hellboy is awake." I stated, earning a very strong reaction from Rai. She tried to sit up but her chest and her back were too sore. She opened her mouth to ask me about the hex but I shook my head. "Don't worry about that. I removed every trace of the hex and he is back to his old self again." She sighed in relief.

"He wants to see you." I whispered quietly. Rai went back to staring at the ceiling.

"Why hasn't he? Why hasn't anyone come to see me, Abe?" She kept her voice low. She sounded upset.

"The professor and Director Manning wished to speak with you first." I replied. The wounded girl exhaled loudly and closed her eyes. I waited for her to say something in reply. Her facial features relaxed and I realized, as I listened to her breathing even out, that she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Leaving was always hard for me. As much as I hated to upset everyone, I knew that leaving was the right thing to do. I said my goodbyes to almost everyone. I hadn't had a chance to see Rai since she woke up. As I finished packing my things, I took one last glance at the bleak,empty room and walked out the door.

I hadn't said goodbye to Hellboy because I knew he wasn't ready for it yet. The thought crossed my mind right before I felt his presence beside me. He had finally caught up to me. I had already avoided him long enough to convince myself that this was what I wanted. Nothing he was going to say could convince me otherwise.

"You don't need to leave. You can find help here, Liz. You don't need to go." Hellboy spoke up as he tagged along beside me. I shook my head.

"You don't understand, Hellboy. I have to get out of here." He grabbed my arm and pulled me around to face him.

"You don't." He stated firmly.

"Yes. I do."

He didn't look happy. He never did when I started to leave. He was crushed every single time. I hated hurting him but I just couldn't deal with the threat of killing someone. I didn't know how to keep my abilities under control.

"Listen Red, you can't keep waiting on me." I said softly. He looked surprised by my words. He opened his mouth to deny my statement but I shook my head.

"You know I care about you just like I care about Abe and the Professor. But I don't think I care about you in _that_ way right now." I let my words sink in. He seemed to consider them but never took his eyes off me. The eyes told me all I needed to know. He was upset, frustrated, and confused.

"You aren't leaving because of me are you?" He asked. I was thrown off by his question.

"No! HB it has nothing to do with that. I'm leaving because I have to. It has nothing to do with you." I stared at him forcefully hoping he would understand.

"Then you don't…feel the same?" He muttered. He looked defeated and heartbroken.

"I didn't say that exactly. If we ever see each other again, I might be better prepared to answer that question. But until then…." I placed my hand on his cheek and forced him to look at me. I smiled at him sadly. "You really need to open your eyes." I whispered. He stared at me in confusion.

"You have someone right in front of you that cares about you just as much as I do, maybe even more than I do. Don't lose her, Red. She might be exactly what you're looking for. You never know until you try." While he stood there, even more confused than he was before, I hugged him tightly. He hugged me back after a few hesitant seconds.

"Goodbye, Hellboy." I whispered. I snuck in a kiss on his cheek before I pulled away and left him standing in the hallway, completely dazed.

* * *

**So I hope you don't think I'm a mean person for having Liz leave again. She doesn't have some big fantastic exit because I just don't think that's what she would do. It isn't her style. So she's just walking out. **

**On another note I got a PM a week or so ago that made me laugh really hard and helped encourge me to pull through my writers block. So I'd like to give a shout out to xKiriXKurox for sending me that message. I'd also like to thank all of you that have been reading and reviewing. Your patients with me is amazing. So thank you guys!**


	22. Chapter 22

**So I'm back. Here is another chapter. It is pretty short, sorry. I'll continue to work on the next few chapters so that I can get this story moving again. Thank you to all of you that sent me reviews and messages while was 'missing'. **

**^.^ ****Enjoy!**

* * *

The kitchen was the only empty room I could find. I regretted feeling upset over my lack of visitors when I was in my medic room. Now everyone wanted to talk to me, to reprimand me, to pity me.

I stared absentmindedly at the mug of hot coffee in front of me. I had no intention of drinking it. I just enjoyed the rich smell after experiencing the stale aromas of the sterilized medic room for so long. The heat was comforting as I wrapped the fingers of my left hand around the ceramic mug.

A wave of pain coursed through the right side of my body as my pain killers started to lose effect. The muscle damage and the bruises were painful enough but of course; on top of that, I had to have the unfortunate privilege of recovering from splintered and fractured bones.

Abe had removed all of the poison that had seeped into my bones creating cracks and deteriorating bone marrow. I was now left with a severely injured arm and shoulder that were both locked in an uncomfortably, tight brace. I didn't know how long it would be before I got out of it. The gauze on my head would be removed tomorrow and the bandages wrapped around my chest would probably be removed after my next X-ray if it looked like my ribs had healed properly.

The coffee mug threatened to shatter as my hand tensed around it. The footsteps had been audible since they had turned the corner at the end of the hallway leading to the kitchen. I simply hoped the person would pass by without disturbing me. My hopes were futile.

Of all of the people that could walk in…

I stared down at the mug and tried to focus solely on the smell of the coffee as I heard him enter the room. He opened the fridge and pulled out, I presume, a beer. The countertop creaked softly as he leaned his weight against it and began consuming his drink. Once he finished it, I could practically feel his eyes studying me. I expected him to open his mouth and start lecturing me. His rant would probably be worse than any other I had heard.

"Did you say goodbye to Liz, before she… left?" Hellboy's calm voice startled me. I turned around slowly so that I could see him.

"No. She never came to visit me while I was out of commission. Did she leave already?" I watched him cautiously.

"Yeah." He muttered. His eyes were trained on the floor as he pushed away from the counter and moved to grab another beer from the fridge.

"Aren't you supposed to be in medical care?" He said, turning around and looking directly at me for the first time.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep worrying about Liz." I replied bitterly. I stood from my seat at the table and carried my full cup of coffee to the sink.

"Hey." Hellboy called as he watched me pour out the coffee and clean the mug.

"I was worried about you. I still am. What were you thinking out there?" I sighed and placed the mug down. I wasn't ready for another lecture. "I don't know. I just…. Maybe Liz has the right idea, leaving like that." I replied, staring down at the sink.

"Don't think like that. You belong here and…"

"Do I?" I interrupted without looking at him. Hellboy stared at me, confused by my question. "I almost killed you." I whispered guiltily. Hellboy barked a laugh and I whipped around to glare at him. "That was nothing! I've been through much worse! I don't blame you for what happened. It was just an accident." He offered me a smile. I shook my head and lowered my gaze.

"I was careless. I always am. I just feel like everything I do is just one mistake after another." I confessed.

"You're reckless but so am I so I can't really judge you there. Despite that, you tend to get hurt because you're committed to your assignment, your job, and the protection of your friends. This little adventure of yours is a different matter." He stepped closer to me as he spoke. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the floor, refusing to look at him. "It's none of your business." I snapped. His left hand gripped my chin and forced me to look up at him.

"It's my business if you get hurt because I care about you." My heart skipped a beat as he stared down at me with his bright yellow eyes. "We all care about you." He added. My hopes deflated right as they started to form.

I tried to hide the wince as my neck and collarbone started to hurt. Hellboy hadn't realized it but when he lifted my chin, he had put a lot of strain on my neck. Tears formed in my eyes as the pain started to get worse. He spotted the tears and gave me a quizzical expression. "You're hurting me." I mumbled and then winced as he quickly released my chin.

"I'm sorry." He replied quickly. I took a deep breath as I waited for the pain to ease.

"No, I'm sorry." I muttered once I could speak again. Hellboy raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "I'm sorry for getting in the way a lot and I'm sorry I treated you so terribly. I know I'm not Liz and I shouldn't have tried to take my anger out on her just to get back at you." I apologized softly. Hellboy's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"It wasn't entirely your fault. I'm the one that made you feel alienated and I was a bit of asshole in the first place. I'm sorry, Rai." He looked quite serious when he said it. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He offered me his left hand and I placed my hand in his not sure of what he wanted. He simply shook my hand.

"See there you go. Even we freaks can be civilized." He said, using the very same words I had used on him after we killed a kraken. I laughed as I recalled the memory. The action made my chest hurt and Hellboy let me lean on him so that I wouldn't collapse.

"So, is that it? Can we start over?" He asked me. I wanted to shrug but I wasn't able to because of my injuries. I thought about what he asked for a moment and then nodded me head. "I would like to." I replied. He smiled.

"We should probably get you back to the medic room." Hellboy said and I groaned. "Please don't take me back there. I just want to sleep in my own room in my own bed." I whined. "They need to keep an eye on you, kid. You may not have noticed, but you're pretty banged up." I glared at him.

"I don't need a beeping sound to tell me I'm still alive. If I wasn't, then I probably wouldn't be in this much pain." I replied dryly. Hellboy studied my face for a moment and then sighed. "Fine, I can take you back to your room." He offered. I smiled widely and started to head for the door but Hellboy stopped me.

Something hit the back of my knees and I was swept up into his arms. Before I could protest, Hellboy started carrying me out of the room and down the hallway. "You are practically dead on your feet, Sparky. The least you can do is let me carry you." I wanted to argue but was too exhausted, so I relaxed into Hellboy's chest.

* * *

After arriving at her room, I lowered her onto the bed as gently as possible. She was already half asleep when her head landed on the pillow. I stood watching her awkwardly, not sure of what I was supposed to do next. I guessed that I should try to make her more comfortable. I leaned over her and adjusted the pillow so that she could sleep soundly and not wake up with a stiff neck.

She muttered a 'thank you' and I nodded my head at her. I pulled some of the blankets on her bed over her so that she could stay warm. As I pulled on one of the blankets something that had been wrapped in the blanket fell to the floor. I lifted the object and found that it was some kind of stuffed animal. After examining it a little closer, I realized that the doll was supposed to be me. I glanced back and forth between the doll and Rai debating whether I should ask or not.

"Hey kid, what's this?" I asked as I held up the doll. She lifted her head slowly and waited for her eyes to readjust. Her eyes grew huge when she saw what I was holding. Before I could comprehend what happened, Rai ripped the doll from my hand and hid it beneath her pillow. I tried to hide my smile as I realized she looked really cute with the light blush spreading across her face. I softly patted her head and decided it was time to leave.

I smiled back at her once more before shutting off the light and closing the door.

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**Yay! Ok so I hope you enjoyed the little moment between Hellboy and Rai. I finished writing this and decided that I just can't have these two fight any more. We need some progress to happening so lets just see where it goes from here.**

**Thank you to all of you that left me reviews!**

**Until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

My life sucked. It really did.

My whole arm hurt almost as much as it did when I first received the injury but no matter how many pills I took for the pain, it would not simmer down. Several agents reported that I was abusing the medication given to me so eventually, without any proof to back up these reports; I was restricted from using any pain medication.

I flipped out when Manning informed me of this new rule. My tantrum was so bad that at one point, in my blind rage, the only thing that could hold me back from ripping Manning's throat out was Hellboy's strong arms. I faintly remembered his arms wrapped tightly around my waist as I tried to claw at Manning. I blacked out a few minutes later. The pain had been that bad.

Thankfully, Abe was willing to break the rules for me. He had to take me back to the medical bay several times already so that he could get me some really strong painkillers. I'm pretty sure a few of them weren't even legal in America. Manning didn't need to know.

I wanted the use of my arm back more than I'd ever wanted anything before.

There were a few nights when I cried myself to sleep because the thought of being weak and helpless was truly heartbreaking to me. I hated feeling this way. This wasn't supposed to be me and now I was dependent on other people to help with some of the simplest tasks. Plenty of people would have helped too. That is, they would have if I had asked them too, but I didn't. My pride wouldn't allow me to reach out to anyone for help.

So I suffered in silence, hiding every wince and muffling every cry. People often asked if I was alright and I would lie and tell them that I was. Hellboy asked this question the most and he never believed my lie. He'd go running off to tell Abe that I was hurting again and needed medication.

I didn't see him very often and I was grateful that he never mentioned the doll I had of him. I questioned why I still had the stupid thing. Was it even possible for me to embarrass myself more than I already had? Yes, I could blush every time the idiot showed up in the kitchen and offered to help me make my breakfast.

I only saw Caleb once before he disappeared from my life. I met the woman who his fiancé. She was cute and kind but, damn, did she have a mouth on her. She threw a lot of harsh words at Caleb and me. I apologized to her profusely and thanked Caleb for helping me in the same fashion. He waved me off and said that he simply gained a great story to share with his drinking buddies. His fiancé wasn't too happy to hear that but I could see that, despite all of this trouble, she still loved him.

Then they were gone. Manning assured me that they would be safe and well looked after. That was that.

Of course, Manning had to ruin the moment by assigning me a massive stack of paperwork right there on the spot. Abe didn't make things better when he mentioned that the writing could be good for my recovery. It was "therapeutic" or something. (Therapeutic, my ass) All I succeeded in doing was hurting my hand and arm more.

Life was just not going well for me and I lived for those few moments when I could spend time with Hellboy and relax.

* * *

Her legs were swinging back and forth as she sat on the edge of my pickup-truck bed. I was reclined in an armchair across the room, tossing a toy basketball back and forth in my hands.

"You should just tell Manning off." I said as chucked the basketball at her. It landed in a small empty trashcan seated beside the kid. She pulled the little basketball out with her left hand and threw it back to me. I saw her roll her eyes at me.

"Professor said he has the right to punish me if he wants. I deserve it." She replied in a monotone voice. She sounded exhausted. I laughed.

"Damn right you deserved it and now you look like crap." I said, still laughing. She scowled at me.

She had been out of the medical bay for a month now. Her arm had to stay in a tight brace that held her arm to her chest and didn't allow her to move anything but her hand. She was down to just using band-aids for the remaining cuts and most of her bruises were a faint yellow color.

"Well I'm sorry that I can't just wake up and walk away from a life-threatening situation like you can." She muttered. I could tell that she didn't like the smirk on my face.

"At least I don't have to worry about you for I while." I said, throwing the basketball again. I made the shot.

I was referring to her probation. She couldn't leave the BPRD premises without permission for 4 more months and even after that she still wasn't aloud out on missions because of the injuries. She was on office duty and that sucked. She returned the basket ball with a quick toss. I caught it easily.

"Yeah it's just going to be you and Abe for a while." She replied. My aim was off on my next throw. The ball landed in my bed, too far away for Rai to reach without moving. She stared at it, considering if she should go get it. She seemed to decide that it wasn't worth it. Slowly she turned back to me looking uncertain.

"Are you ok?" She asked. I sat up in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees. "Yeah. I'm fine." I mumbled. Her statement had struck me hard. It was only going to me and Abe. Liz was gone.

Rai had asked the same question several times over the past couple of weeks. I hadn't talked about it with anyone. Almost everybody was pretending that nothing happened. They all went about their lives acting like they never knew a girl name Liz Sherman.

It had been a few weeks since Liz left. I missed her but I could hardly focus on that because my mind kept replaying her words. I had spent almost every waking hour going over what she had said to me: _Someone right in front of you_.

I looked up at Rai's face. Her face told me that she was worried about me. I sighed heavily.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing's wrong." It was a lie but I wasn't about to talk about my inner thoughts now. I pulled myself out of my chair and crossed the room. She smiled at me as I sat down on the edge of my bed next to her. The pickup-truck dipped underneath my weight.

"You know, she never liked doing stuff like this." I said. Rai raised an eyebrow at me, not sure who I was talking about. "She wasn't into sitting around doing nothing. She was always really active, always wanting to do something or go somewhere rather than sit and toss basketballs across a room. Plus, she was a lousy shot." Rai realized who I was referring to and laughed out loud, surprising herself. Her free hand flew to cover her mouth, embarrassed by the sudden outburst. "You better not ever let her hear that. She would roast you." She said through her fingers as she continued to try and stifle the laughter. I rolled my eyes at her but I couldn't help but laughed too.

"Fire proof, remember." I replied. She laughed harder.

"Right, whatever." She said. I decided in that instant that I loved the sound of Rai's laugh. It didn't mean anything I just enjoyed the sound and the thought of her being happy. I opened my mouth to say something to keep her laughing but a shrill siren cut me off.

"I guess that's my cue." I sighed, disappointed that the moment with Rai was over. Rai's laughter died down and she pouted. I was running off to do field work and that meant she had to return to office work.

"Have fun." She grumbled. I replied with a short laugh. "Just be careful out there, ok?" She said. Her voice was soft and she looked concerned as she stared up at me. I knew she was being serious so I held back a confident smirk and gave her a sincere smile instead.

"You got it, kid." I replied. She rolled her eyes at me. We both hopped off the end of my bed and navigated our way through my messy room to the door. Then I was off to save the world while she trudged down the hall cursing it.

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**Reviews are always nice ^_^**


	24. Chapter 24

**Read and Review.**

* * *

"Everything all right?" I jumped when I heard the voice. I sat on the tiled floor Indian style, leaning up against a filing cabinet. My back slammed against said cabinet when Clay spoke up and scared me. He stared down at me now, eyeing the stacks of files that surrounded me in the dark office room, and then caught sight of the pained expression on my face.

"You're in pain again." He commented. My eyes narrowed and I looked down quickly, letting my hair fall in my face. I grimaced. The pain was partially his fault. The rest would probably be due to the fact I had been sitting in the same spot for 7 hours.

"I don't know what you're talking…."

"Don't worry about it. If you don't want my help, I won't force you to take it. I came to tell you that we're all back." He said with a smile in his voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking back up at the older agent. "Hellboy wanted me to find you and tell you that we all made it back from the mission safely. He also wanted to talk to you. I don't know what's going on inside that thick head of his but he's definitely not focused these days. Something's bothering him. I'm pretty sure we all know what that 'something' is but he's not really willing to talk to any of us about it."

I sighed and stared at the files around me. It would take all night to finish the work. I couldn't just leave it. Manning would blow a fuse.

Clay noticed my dilemma and smiled. He offered to finish the work for me and I jumped at the offer. Anything to get out of this excruciatingly boring job was a blessing that I was not about to over look.

* * *

The door was ajar when I got to Hellboy's room. Not wanting to be rude, I knocked on the metal and waited for a reply before I entered. When I didn't receive one, I peeked into the room. Hellboy was lounging in his bed staring at a note pad in his hands. I watched him scribble something down and then furiously scratch it out with his pen.

I slid into the room and started towards him wondering what emotions were making him scrunch his face up like that. He wrote again but it didn't seem to please him. He tore the page, crumpled it, and tossed it to the floor. The paper joined dozens of other scrapped ideas on the floor. I accidentally kicked a pile of crumpled papers on my way towards him. He didn't even notice.

The expression on his face was looking more and more frustrated as I got closer to him. I waded through a few more piles of trash before planting myself right at the end of Hellboy's bed. He still didn't seem to notice me as I watched him start to write something.

"Everything ok?"

Hellboy's pen jerked down the page of his notepad and his head snapped up. I heard a sharp intake of breath and then: "Damn, kid!" A minute of silence went by before either of us moved. Hellboy seemed to suddenly remember where he was and who was standing in front of him. He sat upright quickly and chucked the note pad over the side of his bed. It landed with a '_thump_' in a pile of scraps. I glanced at it curiously and then arched a questioning eyebrow at Hellboy.

"What do you need?" Hellboy asked. The question threw me for a moment and my head tilted to the side in confusion. I was hesitant to answer, wondering if Clay had sent me on a wild goose chase. "Clay… said you wanted to talk to me…right?"

"Right. Yeah… I did." Hellboy replied after another moment of silence. He stood up in the center of his bed and walked to the end of it. The pickup truck creaked beneath his weight and he jumped off of it. I stepped back as his feet hit the floor. "HB…." I wanted to ask him what was bothering him but I guessed that I already knew. If I asked and that guess was correct, this conversation could end up in a really messy place.

The red demon kicked some paper out of the way as he made his way across the room to a shelf and found an opened beer can that he quickly finished. The silence was taking over the atmosphere again. Maybe I needed to be the one to start this conversation after all. I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it.

"Can I ask you for some advice?" He asked quickly. The straight-forward question threw me off guard. I never expected those words from Hellboy and I would have never thought they'd be directed towards me.

"Is this about her?" I asked in reply. '_If it is, I'm the wrong person to ask,' _I wanted to say. He didn't reply right away. "She usually stays longer." _Subject change?_ Not a fun direction. He moved to sit on the arm of his armchair. His eyes locked onto the floor and his face scrunched up again.

"I care about her." He breathed out. It seemed hard for him to say. My heartbeat hiccuped and I stared down at my shoes. _Of course you do._

"That's good," was my lame reply and I swore internally. If I was a third party in this conversation, I would have punched myself.

"I told her." He said. I froze. _He what?_ I couldn't comprehend the question I had just asked myself. How did breathing work again? Was I supposed to do something? Hellboy wasn't speaking anymore. He was waiting for a reply. I struggled to breath and not make it sound like gasping.

"Oh." I choked out. Hellboy let out a haggard sigh and I glanced up at him. "Well, I didn't really tell her, but she knows. She knows and she left anyways." He muttered. He sounded so damn tired and he looked even worse.

"What did she say?" I asked, not really wanting to know but feeling that I needed to pretend for Hellboy's sake.

"She…she doesn't know how she feels. She said that she didn't have an answer for me yet." He said and finally, he made eye contact with me. "I'm really sorry." I said and I meant it. I didn't want to see Hellboy and Liz together but I didn't want to see Hellboy hurting either. I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. He was confused and angry and upset. It wasn't right for me to be happy about this. Guilt chewed away at me as I tried to think of something else to say.

"I don't really know what to do." Hellboy admitted. He was frustrated with himself and the empty beer can still in his hand bore the full brunt of the frustration. It was smashed to death and tossed into a trash can nearby. I sighed this time and crossed the room. I settled down on the other arm of Hellboy's chair.

"You know what?" I asked. Hellboy glanced over at me. "I think that it's her loss."I gave him a small smile. He didn't return it. Instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled. "Don't give me this crap. I'm not…"

"No, no. Hear me out." Hellboy rolled his eyes at me. He didn't look like he wanted my advice anymore. I wanted to lighten up the mood but he wasn't interested. I thought through my next words very carefully.

"I think you are pretty amazing." I said, this time completely serious. "And I think if somebody else can't see that, then they just aren't worth your time."

I waited for Hellboy to react. My words couldn't have been more honest. Would he think I was joking? Would he read too deeply into what I had said? I didn't know which was worse. Seconds of silence kept passing and I wondered what was going on inside that big head of his.

Hellboy let out a breath of air but it didn't really sound like a sigh. He had been holding his breath, possibly wondering if I would laugh and say "just kidding, you suck". I watched him stare at something across the room until finally he looked at me again. "Thanks." He said and offered me a smile. I returned it before pushing myself off of the armchair. Hellboy stood after I did and opened his mouth to say something. I waited but he just shut his mouth quickly and shook his head.

"Well, if that was all you wanted to talk about then I think I should go take back my pile of paperwork from Clay." I said, hoping that I could avoid anymore conversation and any chance of me completely embarrassing myself.

"Wait…" Hellboy called out to me as I started to walk towards his bedroom door. I turned around to face him.

"Do you want to…I don't know…Maybe we could get some ice cream or something? If you want to, that is…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. Shock was my initial reaction. _Did he just ask me out?_

"I'd love to but Manning still has me on lock down. I'm grounded, remember."_ Damn you Manning_. Hellboy nodded his head quickly. "Right, forgot about that. No problem, it was just a suggestion. I didn't want to get all serious and depressing and then just leave things that way, that's all." Hellboy explained. Of course, that made sense. He just didn't want things to be awkward and my inner thoughts made it awkward anyway. _Way to go, Rai._

"Yeah, no worries, we're good. Maybe some other time?" I suggested. He nodded. I offered him a good night and he offered one to me in return before I made my way out of the room.

I waited until I was a few hallways away before I stopped and smacked my hand to my forehead. Why did I have to sound like an idiot?


End file.
